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THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 





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THE 


DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 

CHRIST AND CyESAR. 



BY 


LYDIA HOYT FARMER, 


AUTHOR OF “a KNIGHT OF FAITH,” “A MORAL INHERITANCE,” 
“a short HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,” “THE 
LIFE OF LA FAYETTE,” “ FAMOUS RULERS AND 
QUEENS,” “a story BOOK OF SCIENCE,” 

“the prince of THE FLAMING 
STAR,” ETC. 



NEW 



ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH AND COMPANY, 


182 Fifth Avenue. 


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Copyright, 1895, 

By Anson D. F. Randolph and Co. 


^nibersitg '^xm: 

John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S. A. 




©etiicatel); 


BY SPECIAL PERMISSIOrr, 

^ TO THE 

RIGHT HONORABLE WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE. 


















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J-JISTOR K, from Creation to Calvary^ but more clearly still 
from Calvary down the centuries^ points with unerring 
finger to One effulgent Character, He who came to give eternal 
life to perishing men^ walked the streets of Jerusalem eighteen 
centuries ago, as actual an historical fact as that Nero sat on 
the throne of the Ccesars, or that you and I tread the earth to- 
day, To endeavor to make more realistic the setting of that 
Wondrous and Divine Life, by painting m words the picture of 
that era in the worhVs history, is the aim of the author of this 
volume; with the hope that the marvellous mission of the God- 
Man may appear with greater vividness to some soul, and that 
the Sun of Righteousness may blaze forth as the Shining Centre 
of past, present, and future history. 






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CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

Page 

Jerusalem the Beautiful. — The Strange Prophet. — The Gar- 
den of Gethsemane. — The Holy of Holies 1 

CHAPTER IL 

Miriam, Jessica, and Aziel. — The Temple Courts. — The Hall 
of Hewn Stones. — The Hove Bazaar 9 

CHAPTER III. 

The Pool of Siloam. — The House on Zion’s Hill. — The Feast 
of Tabernacles 2l 

CHAPTER IV. 

Rambles in Rome in the First Century. — Aziel visits Rome. — 

Aziel and Placidus amidst the Temples of the Imperial 
City. — The Roman Forum 38 

CHAPTER V. 

The Ghetto. — The Palatine Palaces of the Caesars. — Nero’s 
Golden House. — Nero in the Theatre Pompeius ... €8 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Roman Games. — The Pantheon. — The Campus Martius. 

— The Mamertine Prison 81 

^ CHAPTER VII. 

Famous Villas on the Quirinal, Esquiline, and Pincian Hills. — 

Virgilia and IMyrtilla 98 


X 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Page 

The Thermae Agrippae. — The Suicide of Petronius. — The 
Roman Senator. — Shocking Spectacles in Nero’s Circus 
Gardens 


CHAPTER IX. 

The Villa on the Caelian Hill. — The Catacombs of Rome. — 

A Picture of the Social Life of Rome 137 

CHAPTER X. 

The Roman Christians. — A Moonlight Sail on the Tiber . . 162 

CHAPTER XL 

Aziel returns to Jerusalem. — Aziel, Miriam, and Jessica in 
the House of Ananus. — Florus and Queen Berenice. — 

The Zealots 172 


CHAPTER XII. 

Cestius marches against Jerusalem. — Woe to Jerusalem! — 
Wherefore should the Temple be destroyed? — Vespasian 
appointed Commander of the Roman Forces 191 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Places made Sacred by the Holy Footsteps of the Christ des' 
ecrated by the Tramp of Pagan Armies. — The Banquet 
in King Agrippa’s Palace. — A Description of the Roman 
Army. — Josephus and the Siege of Jotapata 226 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Council-of-War in the Tent of Vespasian. — Wily Stratagems 
of the Besieged Jews. — Jotapata taken, and Josephus 
imprisoned. — Battle on the Sea of Galilee 244 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


CHAPTER XV. 

The Fall of Nero. — Vespasian declared Emperor, and Titus 
intrusted with the Completion of the Jewish AVar. — Titus 
advances towards Jerusalem. — Scene in the House on Zion’s 
Hill. — The Assembly of the People in the Xystus. — The 
Zealots send for Aid to the Idumaeans 


Page 


262 


CHAPTER XVI. 

The Terrible Tempest, and the Death of Ananus, the High 
Priest. — Jessica in the Robber’s Cave. — Riots among 
the Zealots. — Titus before the Walls of Jerusalem . . 277 

CHAPTER XVIL 

Heart-rending Scenes in the Holy City. — The Sicarii attack 
the Worshippers in the Temple 296 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

Famine and Bloodshed. — The Sisters’ Sacrifice. — Jessica’s 
Terrible Adventure 306 


CHAPTER XIX. 

Titus Captures the Outer Wall. — Aziel arms in Defence 
of the Temple. — Jessica in her Watch-Tower. — A 
Gorgeous Spectacle 312 


CHAPTER XX. 

Josephus expostulates with the Rebellious Jews. — Shocking 
Barbarities 323 


CHAPTER XXI. 

Titus captures the Tower of Antonia. — Jessica and Miriam 

View the Conflicts from their Roof-Terrace .... 328 


CONTENTS. 


xii 


CHAPTER XXII. 


The Fall of the Temple. — The Capture and Destruction of 
Jerusalem 


Page 

333 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Triumph of Vespasian and Titus in Rome. — Jessica in 


the Arena of the Roman Amphitheatre 342 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Daughters of Rome and Jerusalem 356 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Queen Berenice and Placidus 368 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Miriam and Aziel. — Placidus and Jessica. — Scene in the 

Coliseum. — The Brazen Bull 375 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHRIST AND C^SAR. 

CHAPTER I. 

JERUSALEM THE BEAUTIFUL. THE STRANGE PROPHET. 

THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 

It was the first of October, in the year of our Lord 64 ; 
and of the cities of the East, Jerusalem the Beautiful 
excelled them all in splendor. Herod the Great had 
adorned it with costly edifices, spacious forums, theatres, 
and gymnasiums, while graceful colonnades testified to his 
lavish expenditure. But the crowning achievement of his 
life was the rebuilding of the glorious Temple on Mount 
Moriah, and which was of such noble proportions that all 
the fanes of Koine might have been placed within its im- 
posing courts. On this October morning Herod’s Temple 
stood upon the hill, a poem in marble, a symphony in 
architectural design and coloring. 

Another writer^ has sketched the Temple with such 
vividness that we will let him paint the word-picture. 

There it stood, covering nineteen acres, and ten thou- 
sand workmen had been forty-six years in building it. Blaze 
of magnificence ! Bewildering range of porticos, and ten 
gateways, and double arches, and Corinthian capitals 

1 Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D.D. 


2 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


chiselled into lilies and acanthus ; masonry bevelled and 
grooved into such delicate forms that it seemed to tremble 
in the light ; cloisters with two rows of Corinthian col- 
umns, royal arches, marble steps pure as though made 
out of the frozen snow ; carving that seemed like a panel 
of the door of heaven let down and set inj the fa<;ade of 
the building on shoulders at each end lifting the glory 
higher and higher, and walls wherein gold put out the 
silver, and the carbuncle put out the gold, and the jasper 
put out the carbuncle, until in the changing light they 
would all seem to come back again into a chorus of har- 
monious color. The Temple ! The Temple ! Doxologies in 
stone ! Anthems soaring in rafters of Lebanon cedar ! 
From side to side and from foundation to gilded pinnacle, 
the frozen prayer of all ages ! 

Behind the Sanctuary stood the massive Tower of 
Antonia, a gigantic fortress, situated on the northwest 
corner of the Temple, erected upon a huge rock forty cubits 
high. 

On Zion’s Hill was the gorgeous palace of Herod the 
Great, its white marble walls glistening, in the morning 
sunlight like a huge bank of snow, towered and turreted, 
forming outlines of grace and beauty, while green groves 
and gardens surrounding the royal residence gave the 
needed touch of nature, which always enhances art. But 
towers and triple walls, and gleaming palaces on Zion’s 
crest, and turreted fortresses, and spacious forums, and 
smiling hills, villa-dotted, and purple-mantled with the 
glowing fruit of myriad vineyards, all paled before the 
dazzling Temple crowning Moriah’s brow, whose roofs 
of gold, studded with golden spikes, lifted towards the 
blue, flashed back the sunbeam’s light in shining splendor 
and caught the eye of the pilgrim, and riveted his gaze 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


3 


from whatever side he might approach this imposing city, 
of which it was written in the Talmuds, — 

“ He who has not seen Jerusalem has never seen a beautiful city.” 

And now above the noise of city streets, and busy 
throngs, and stamping beasts, and lowing of sacrificial 
kine, and bellowing of imprisoned bullocks soon to be 
slaughtered by priestly hands, and cooing of the caged 
doves, and bleating of unblemished lambs brought for 
temple offerings ; above the hum of city traffic and the 
buzz of gathering, gossiping groups of pilgrims, rings out 
a voice upon the morning air, which startles the ears of 
men and beasts and birds, as its mournful clarion tones 
swell and resound, causing the listeners to mutely ques- 
tion with startled glances the meaning of this strange and 
foreboding omen. 

“Woe, woe to Jerusalem! Woe to the city and to the 
people, and to the Holy House I A voice from the east, a 
voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice 
against Jerusalem and the Holy House! A voice against 
the bridegrooms and the brides; and a voice against this 
whole people! Woe, woe to Jerusalem! ” 

“What means the cry of that bird of ill-omen?” asked 
a burly Levite, elbowing his way towards the Temple 
through the pressing crowd. “Was Jerusalem evermore 
prosperous since the hated Komans placed their yoke upon 
our sacred necks?” 

“Hist, man,” retorted a bystander. “Be not so rash 
with thy forward tongue. Perchance some evil doth 
portend. Hast thou not seen the star in the form of a 
sword, of which men whisper?” 

“ And dost thou not mark the comet that has not ceased 
to burn for a whole year? ” asked another. 


4 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Enough of stars and comets, ye fools/’ rejoined the 
Levite. Have not stars shone before, and comets blazed? 
and the earth still remains, and the Jews continue to be 
the mighty people of God, in spite of Roman eagles and 
Roman yokes, and the Nazarene besides, who claimed to 
be the King of the Jews? But that cross on Golgotha 
was the only throne He ever knew.” 

“ Perhaps not, thou prating Levite ! ” said a Roman 
soldier, then passing. ‘‘That Nazarene, though dead, as 
you claim, seems still to have much power; for even in 
Caesar’s household He has been called the Divine Son of 
God. I know not what it means, for I have to do with 
war, not religions; but I have met the followers of the 
Nazarene in all climes, and neither Roman legions, nor 
racks of torture, nor burning stakes, can force them to 
deny their faith.” 

“ Peradventure thou art also a believer?” sneered the 
Levite. “ And who art thou that pretendest to know more 
than a holy Jew of that episode on Calvary?” 

“My father was the Roman centurion at that cross,” 
replied the soldier, reverently. 

“Ah ! doubtless that weak fellow who was so frightened at 
the darkness occasioned by the eclipse that his terror made 
him believe the crucified malefactor was ‘ the Son of God,’ as 
rumor has it. Well, over thirty years have passed, and 
the Temple still stands, and will continue, in spite of the 
dead Nazarene’s declaration that it should be destroyed.” 

“Beware, Levite!” rejoined the Roman. “Strange 
things have happened, as the Nazarene did foretell, and 
stranger yet will happen, if I mistake not certain signs in 
the Imperial City.” 

“ I care not for thy Rome, nor Roman legions ! ” cried the 
Levite. “The Jews will yet be masters of the world.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


6 


‘‘It might not be good for thy bodily safety, should 
such seditious words come to the ear of mighty Caesar,” 
rejoined the Eoman soldier, Placidus, as he turned from 
the Levite, who continued his way towards the Temple, 
where the people were gathering, and around which they 
were erecting their booths of branches ; for this October 
morning was to usher in the memorable Day of Atonement, 
which preceded the Feast of Tabernacles. 

As the early morning sun gilded the crest of the Mount 
of Olives, a solitary pedestrian had emerged from the 
shade of the olive groves, and began the descent of the de- 
clivity. His clothing was made of the skins of wild beasts; 
his long, gray hair and white beard were unkempt ; his 
face was haggard, and his eyes were cast upon the ground 
in meditation; he carried in his right hand a staff, and 
in his left a scroll; his sandals were coarse and worn. 
Where the mantle of skin was parted in front, there was 
revealed an under garment of sackcloth. The appearance 
of the wayfarer denoted extreme sorrow. Now and again, 
as his lifted head was turned towards Jerusalem, his eyes 
were eloquent with a hopeless grief, an overwhelming 
woe, his soul shrouded in deep despair. But no selfish 
sorrow was apparent. He cast no ashes upon his head, 
nor rent his garments in sign of personal bereavement. 
His glance, when not cast upon the ground, was riveted 
upon the Holy City, towards which he was slowly approach- 
ing; and as he murmured, “Woe to Jerusalem! Woe to 
the Holy City ! ” in tones so hopelessly mournful, even 
the birds, twittering in the branches of the olive-trees, 
ceased for a moment their morning carol, seemingly hushed 
to silence by such an unusual wail of human woe. 

As the wayfarer passed out of the Garden of Geth- 
semane, and continued his course through the Valley of 


6 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Jehoshaphat, great crowds of people were already entering 
the gates of the city, on their way to the Temple. 

The prophet was still separated from the throng as he 
slowly walked through the Vale of the Tombs. Pausing 
at the Tomb of Absalom, the prophet opened his scroll, 
and attentively perused it for a few moments. Then he 
murmured aloud, — 

‘‘It is written! It is fulfilled! Woe to Jerusalem! 
Woe also to me ! for I stood in my youth beside that Holy 
Cross, and mocked with the passers-by, crying, ^If thou 
be the Son of God, come down from the cross ! ’ — and 
even as I jeered, the Hying One opened his marvellous 
eyes and looked upon mej and straightway my soul was 
thrilled with horror, as though a sword had pierced my 
heart; and I knew He was the Holy One of God. I have 
searched the Scriptures, and in Him the prophecies are 
fulfilled. It is laid upon me to cry. Woe to Jerusalem ! 
Woe to the Holy House! for they shall utterly be de- 
stroyed ; for they cast out the Son of the Most High God ! ’’ 
Closing the scroll, the prophet continued his walk. 
Passing by the Tomb of Zechariah, he paused by the 
Tomb of Saint James, and, resting beneath the portico, 
supported by slender pillars, he once again gazed long and 
mournfully upon the city of Jerusalem, exclaiming, — 
“Woe to the city and to the people! Jerusalem shall 
be left desolate ! Graves ! graves ! naught but graves ! ” 
Again he resumed his walk, and passing through the 
Vale of Tombs, at length reached the gates of the city, 
and for a time was lost in the moving crowds of people. 

Passing in and out of this centre of eastern trade and 
commerce, were caravans of camels, laden with ivory, 
cinnamon, rich spices, gorgeous Oriental fabrics, and 
various articles of traffic from other eastern countries. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


7 


Other caravans were slowly approaching the city from the 
direction of Jericho, — that ‘^City of Palms,’’ which Herod 
the Great had restored to much of its former magnificence, 
in the erection of fortifications and royal palaces; for 
though the palace of Herod had been partially destroyed 
by fire, it had been rebuilt by Archelaus. And on this 
October morning the highway to Jericho was gay with 
frequent groups of pedestrians ; bands of Eoman soldiers ; 
camels with their loads of balsam, for which the country 
of Jericho was famed, and multitudes of Jews going up to 
Jerusalem, bearing branches of olive, palm, pine, willow, 
and myrtle trees ; for the Israelites were commanded to 
dwell in booths, or tents, during the seven days of the 
Feast of Tabernacles. 

And again that bodeful cry rang out upon the air, Woe 
to Jerusalem ! Woe to the Holy House ! ” 

‘^What means that, father?” asked a young Jewish 
maiden of one of the chief priests, called Ananus, as he 
passed through the Court of the Gentiles into the Temple, 
preparatory to entering upon his solemn duties on this 
memorable day of sacred observances. 

“I know not, Miriam, my daughter,” answered the 
father. “Perchance it is the voice of some lunatic from 
the mountains. Fear not ! It means naught to the mighty 
Jewish nation.” 

And Ananus ascended the steps leading from the Court 
of the Gentiles into the Court of the Women, and having 
passed through the Beautiful Gate, which divided the two 
enclosures, he proceeded through the Nicanor’s Gate, 
which was of Corinthian brass, all the rest of the gates 
of the Temple being of wood covered with plates of gold 
and silver, and then entered the Court of Israel, or Court 
of the Jewish Men. 


8 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Through this court, now thronged with worshippers, the 
High Priest passed into the Court of the Priests, and 
having entered into one of the priests’ cloisters, he there 
bathed, according to ceremonial law, and fully dressed 
himself in the holy white linen garments, appointed for 
the sacred ceremonies of this memorable Day of Atone- 
ment, which occurred on the 10th Tishri, when the High 
Priest alone, of all the days of the year, should enter the 
Holy of Holies. 

The entrance to the Holy Place was through a two- 
leaved gate covered with plates of gold, o\rer which was 
twined a colossal golden vine, of which the clusters of 
grapes were formed of precious stones, — rubies, emeralds, 
the topaz, amethysts, and others of various hues and 
brilliancy; for each year the Jews added grapes or golden 
leaves to this wondrous vine, until it had become a marvel 
of the world. 

And when the shining gates were opened, the High 
Priest lifted a gorgeous curtain of Babylonian tapestry, 
of blue, scarlet, yellow, and purple, embroidered with the 
symbols of the constellations of the heavens, the colors 
also being of significant meaning, the scarlet signifying 
fire; the fine flax, the earth; the blue, the air; and the 
purple, the sea. 

Within this Holy Place stood the Altar of Incense, 
before the sacred Veil, which concealed the Holy of 
Holies. Here also was the Golden Candlestick, seven- 
branched, where in Solomon’s Temple had stood seven 
golden candlesticks. And here, too, was the Table of 
Showbread, of solid gold, together with the other golden 
tables upon which were placed the golden vessels used in 
the services of the Temple. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


9 


CHAPTEE II. 

MIRIAM, JESSICA, AND AZIEL. THE TEMPLE COURTS. 

THE HALL OF HEWN STONES. THE DOVE BAZAAR. 

Miriam, the daughter of Ananus, one of the chief priests, 
together with her youtiger sister, Jessica, attended by their 
faithful nurse, Rachel, who was the constant guardian of 
the two motherless maidens, formed a group a little apart 
irom the crowds thronging the Court of the Gentiles. 

Miriam was a typical daughter of the Jews, — beautiful 
as Rebecca, graceful and stately as Queen Esther, brave as 
the Miriam of old, for whom she had been named, faithful 
as Hannah, the mother of Samuel, filial as Ruth, and as 
devout as Eunice, the mother of Timothy. 

A transparent white scarf partly draped her head, 
crowned with its raven locks, for the Jewish maidens 
might display their wealth of braided or curled tresses. 
On her low, broad brow fell the golden coins which 
formed a part of a Jewish maiden^s dower ; while the 
same precious coins were garlanded across her swelling 
bust, modestly hidden by folds of scarlet crape, held in 
place by a richly embroidered linen girdle, from which fell 
in graceful folds the silken skirt of her pale blue tunic, 
which was partially concealed by a mantle of Persian 
design. 

Her white throat was clasped by a necklace of rare 
pearls, caught by an emerald of priceless value. As the 
eldest daughter of a rich and powerful priest, her attire 
was becomingly costly; while her younger sister, a maiden 


10 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


of some twelve summers, was clothed simply in garments 
of white, with a girdle and mantle of dark blue. 

Old Rachel wore a cloak of brown, which so shrouded 
her figure that naught else was visible of her costume, save 
the white cotton turban wound round her head, and form- 
ing a sort of veil as it hung upon each side of her face. 
This article of dress was known among the ancient Hebrews 
as the wimple. 

The feet of Miriam and Jessica, partly visible beneath 
the tunic, were encased in shoes of soft leather, adorned 
with little bells. This foot-covering was worn only by 
the higher classes of the Jews. Rachel wore the customary 
sandal, with a sole of wood, and straps of leather made 
from the skin of the camel. 

As Miriam and Jessica, accompanied by Rachel, were 
about to enter the Court of the Women (the “Azarath 
Nashim ’’ of the Temple) , beyond which no woman must 
penetrate into the more sacred precincts of the Sanctuary, 
a youth joined them. 

At this moment, once more that doleful cry rang through 
the air, ‘‘Woe! woe to Jerusalem!^’ and the voice was 
near, even at hand; and Miriam beheld with affright the 
old prophet, who had now reached the Temple, where his 
bodeful lamentation had arrested the attention of the 
crowds around him. 

Just as Aziel, the Jewish youth, accosted Miriam and her 
sister, the prophet had been seized by the bystanders, who 
were proceeding to bind him, to lead him before the 
Sanhedrin, which would shortly assemble in the “Lishcath 
Hag-gazith,” or Hall of Hewn Stones. 

“ What means this terrible curse, Aziel? ” asked Miriam, 
not yet wholly recovered from the fright occasioned by 
the unusual cry, but evincing her relief at the sight of 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


11 


this young friend by a smile of welcome; disclosing her 
pleasure by the tell-tale blushes deepening the rich tint of 
her cheeks, while the shadows lightened in her large dark 
eyes. 

know not, Miriam. But I think not, with yonder 
crowd, that the man is a disturber; for I feel a dim pre- 
sentiment that he is rather a prophet sent to warn this 
nation,” answered the Jewish youth, after he had grace- 
fully uttered the Jewish Shalom ” of the Talmud s. 

Peace be with thee ! ”) 

Aziel was related to the family of Joseph of Arimathsea, 
and was a descendant of a long line of pious Israelites. 
Like Absalom, he was of that rare type of Jew appearing 
now and again in Jewish chronicles; for Aziel was fair of 
countenance, with brown locks glinting to gold in the sun- 
light, and eyes of violet blue, the symbol of truth. 

He wore the Hebrew Chatuk, ” or tunic of linen , which 
fitted the figure, and came down to the feet. His Talith,” 
or robe, was of purple silk, girdled with a broad band of 
linen embroidered in divers colors; while his golden locks, 
perfumed with the costly ointment of spikenard, which 
among the Jews was not a sign of effeminacy, but rather 
of rigorous attention to the laws of purification, fell be- 
neath the white linen ‘‘Sudar,” or turban, and hung upon 
his broad shoulders in luxuriant curls. 

The Jew did not, like the Eoman, display his muscular 
strength and physical proportions by the short, sleeveless 
tunic; but, nevertheless, AziePs manly beauty of form and 
fine contour of limb and shoulder were not wholly con- 
cealed by the flowing robe, or long tunic, for the girdle 
held the mantle in graceful and convenient folds, so as not 
to interfere with his free gait and manly proportions. 

He indulged in no extravagance of dress, though the 


12 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


materials were handsome and costly, as became his rank; 
but his youth was betokened by the ornamental stick, or 
cane, with its carved pomegranate upon the top, rather 
than the plainer staff carried by the older and more sedate 
Jews. 

A signet ring, upon a finger of his right hand, bore the 
seal of his illustrious family; while his purple mantle was 
bordered at the four corners with the fringed 
as commanded in the law. 

At a signal from the prefect of the Temple, Aziel 
entered with Miriam, Jessica, and Rachel, through the 
Beautiful Gate, into the Court of the Women, and they pro- 
ceeded to deposit their Temple offerings in the receptacles 
provided for them. Thirteen gates led into this court 
from the Chel, or open space which separated the Court of 
the Women from the Court of the Gentiles. Before each 
one of these gates stood chests, called in the Talmuds 
“ Shophraroth ” (rams’ horns, or trumpets), because of 
their narrow necks. Each chest was for a different object, 
indicated by an inscription in the Hebrew tongue. 

Miriam and her sister deposited their offerings in the 
chest holding the money for turtle doves, while Aziel put 
a handful of silver shekels into the first chest, and a 
golden coin into the fourth and sixth boxes; and with a 
parting salutation to Miriam, he passed beyond, through 
the Gate of Corinthian Brass, into the ^‘Azarath Yisrael,” 
or Court of the Israelites. 

From this court were visible the solemn services per- 
formed by the priests in the inner “Azarath Cohanim,” or 
Court of the Priests, and into which none else might enter. 

And now the ringing of the little golden bells which 
bordered the robe of the High Priest became audible, as 
he came back from the priests’ cloister, where he had laid 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


13 


aside the white linen garments in which he had performed 
the special duties of the Day of Atonement, and resumed 
his customary priestly robes. 

The solemn services of the Day of Atonement having 
been completed, the people returned to their respective 
homes, preparatory to erecting the booths of the branches 
of willow, palm, myrtle, olive, and pine, in which they 
were to dwell during the coming Feast of Tabernacles, on 
the 15th Tishri. 

And now let us follow the strange prophet, whose name 
was Joshua, into the Hall of Hewn Stones, whither he 
had been led as a disturber of the peace, to answer his 
accusers before the bar of justice, presided over by the 
distinguished and powerful assemblage of learned Rabbis 
and priests composing the Sanhedrin. 

There were three places in the Temple where it was 
lawful to sit for discussion. The first was at the Gate of 
Susa; the second, at the Gate of the Court of the Gentiles; 
and the third, in the first half of the Hall of Hewn Stones. 

As for forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem, 
according to the Talmuds, the Sanhedrin had ceased to 
meet in the part of the Hall of Hewn Stones included in 
the Court of Israel, we must follow the prophet into that 
portion of the Basilica reached through the Chel. Around 
the Hall, upon a raised platform, sat the seventy-one 
members of the Sanhedrin, in a half circle. The Nasi, or 
President of this body, the Supreme Court of the Jews, 
had been in past times chosen on account of his eminence 
and wisdom; but the office became, at length, an honor to 
be bought by the most wealthy. Often it was held by the 
High Priest. The Father of the House of Judgment,’’ 
or Vice-President of the Sanhedrin, sat at the right hand 
of the President. 


14 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Into this august assembly the strange prophet had been 
brought by his accusers. 

«Why dost thou disturb the peace of the city?’’ asked 
the President, who, in this instance, was also the High 
Priest of Jerusalem. 

But the prophet was deaf to all questions and to 
all accusations, repeating only his weird and bodeful 
lamentations , — 

‘‘Woe to the Holy City, and to the Holy House! A 
voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from 
the four winds! Woe! woe to Jerusalem!” Neither 
would he give any account of himself. 

“What thinkest thou, Ananus?” inquired the High 
Priest, of the Father of the House of Judgment, which 
place of honor was held by the father of Miriam. 

“It may be he is some lunatic from the mountains,” 
responded Ananus; “nevertheless, it were doubtless better 
to insure his silence by scourge or punishment, lest his 
doleful cry raise a riot in the city.” 

“That is wise counsel,” answered the High Priest; “in 
these troublous times it were good to keep such brawlers 
well muzzled.” 

Whereupon, the Sanhedrin condemned the prophet to be 
scourged. But when he was laid hold upon, and taken to 
the place of scourging, the prophet uttered not one word 
of supplication for himself, insomuch that the soldiers 
marvelled, and he ceased not" to cry as before. 

As the prophet Joshua could not be restrained by the 
punishments inflicted upon him by the Sanhedrin, the 
rulers of the people led him before Albinus. Festus was 
dead, and Albinus was procurator in his place. Herod 
the Great was dead, and his kingdom had been allotted by 
Augustus to Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philippus. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


15 


The fall of Archelaus left the throne of Judea and 
Samaria without a direct claimant, and the Emperor 
attached it to the Eoman dominions. The general admin- 
istration of the country was through the proconsul of 
Syria, but the provinces were more directly governed by an 
imperial procurator, who then dwelt at Caesarea Philippi. 

Both Augustus and Tiberius respected the peculiar preju- 
dices of the Jews. When Pontius Pilatus entered Jeru- 
salem with the Eoman standards flying, upon which the 
image of the Emperor was displayed, which the Jews con- 
sidered a national insult, as they were forbidden by their 
law to make any images, thereupon they made complaints, 
and Tiberius commanded Pilate to withdraw the offending 
images. 

The Emperor Caligula, however, demanded of the Jews 
that they should allow his statue to be set up in Jerusalem, 
which decree had already been carried out in other cities of 
the Empire. 

This command of the Emperor was sent to a certain 
Publius, prefect of Syria; but as soon as the Jews were 
informed of it, they assembled at the town of Tiberias, 
whither they had been convened by Publius, and when he 
endeavored to enforce the decree of the Emperor, the multi- 
tude of the Jews cried out, — 

“We will die rather than our law should be broken! ” 
‘‘Will ye, then, war with Caesar?” said Publius, to 
which one of the chief among the Jews replied, — 

“For Caesar and the Eoman people twice a day do we 
sacrifice, but if he erects these images, he must first destroy 
the whole Jewish nation; and we now present ourselves, 
our wives and children, ready for the slaughter.” 

This heroic stand of the Jews in defence of their 
religious laws so moved Publius that he dismissed the 


16 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


assembly. But Caligula, incensed that the Jewish nation 
should thus defy his authority, gave directions that a 
colossal statue should be made of himself, and that it be 
placed in the Holy of Holies, in the Temple at Jerusalem, 
having inscribed upon it his own name, with the title of 
Jupiter. 

The report of this atrocious sacrilege was received at 
Jerusalem with wild manifestations of astonishment and 
horror. But the speedy assassination of the tyrant pre- 
vented the consummation of this infamous deed. 

While Judea and Samaria were thus annexed to the 
Koman province, Galilee and the outlying regions of 
Peraea and Ituraea were suffered to remain under their 
native rulers; and the dominions of Herod the Great 
became once more united under a single sceptre. 

At this time Hero had been for ten years emperor. 
In 52 A. D. , the Emperor Claudius appointed Herod 
Agrippa II. , the son of Herod Agrippa'I. and Cypros, a 
grandniece of Herod the Great . to the tetrarchies formerly 
held by Philip, the son of Herod the Great, with the title 
of king. Nero afterwards enlarged the dominions of 
Agrippa by the addition of several cities, and Agrippa 
erected costly buildings both at Jerusalem and Berytus. 

Agrippa had also added an apartment to the old Asmonean 
Palace, which stood on the eastern brow of the Upper City, 
and commanded a full view of the interior of the Courts 
of the Temple. As the Jews saw this desecration of the 
Sanctuary (for it was a law of the Eabbis that none should 
build his house high enough to overlook the Temple), they 
built a wall on the west side of the inner quadrangle. 
This wall not only intercepted the palace of Agrippa, but 
also the view from the outer cloisters, in which the Homan 
guard was stationed during the festivals. Thereupon both 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


17 


Festus, who was then procurator, and King Agrippa com- 
plained to Nero. The Jews pleaded that, once built, it 
was a part of the Temple, and it would be sacrilegious to 
remove it. Nero admitted their plea, but retained as 
hostages the High Priest and treasurer, who had headed 
the deputation to Rome. 

Such is a brief outline of some of the political events 
preceding the time of our story. 

Albinus being now procurator, the prophet was brought 
into his presence. 

“Who art thou, and whence didst thou come, and why 
sayest thou these things?^’ asked Albinus. 

But the prophet Joshua answered him not a word, but 
ceased not to make lamentation over the city. 

The governor then caused him to be scourged, even to 
the laying bare of his bones j but the prophet used neither 
entreaties nor tears. 

At length, Albinus, judging the man to be mad, let him 
depart. So Joshua, the strange prophet, returned to the 
mountains; but, as we shall see, this was not the last heard 
of his direful cry. 

This time being the Feast of Tabernacles, preparations 
continued in Jerusalem for the observance of all its sacred 
ceremonies. The services of the Day of Atonement, which 
preceded the Feast of Tabernacles, being over, the people 
gathered in the Xystus, which was the Forum, or Pnyx, 
of the city of Jerusalem. The Xystus was in the valley 
called the Valley of the Cheesemongers, or the Tyropoeon. 
This valley separated the Upper City on Mount Zion from 
the Temple on Mount Moriah, on the one hand, and from 
the Lower City on Mount Acra, on the other. Zion of the 
Holy Hill was usually spoken of as including the Temple 
HiU. 


2 


18 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Jerusalem, as we all know, was built on four hills, — 
Zion, Moriah, Acra, and Bezetha. At the time of Christ, 
Bezetha was still without the walls, although the slopes 
were dotted with many buildings, and Calvary lay between 
Mount Zion and Bezetha. At the time of our story, 
Bezetha had been enclosed by what was called the third 
wall. On Zion, in the Higher, or Upper, City, rose the 
palace of the king. On Moriah was the Temple. Zion 
was the old city, — the city of David; and, in the time 
of Christ, included the whole of the southern part of 
Jerusalem. 

In the Tyropoeon, or valley between these hills, was 
the Xystus, and Council Hall, while above was a bridge 
uniting the Temple Hill to the Upper City. 

From Temple Hill a magnificent view of the city of 
Jerusalem could be obtained, — the Upper City lying to 
the left, and the Lower City to the right ; while in front 
was the Tyropoeon Valley, with the great square of the 
Xystus crowded with the various nationalities that fiocked 
to Jerusalem, for trade, pleasure, or on sacred pilgrimages. 

As we have lingered on Temple Hill while the crowds 
were hurrying down to the Xystus , intent on their various 
occupations, we notice again the group we have already 
described. The Jewish maiden, Miriam, and her sister 
Jessica, accompanied by old Eachel, at this moment 
emerged from the outer courts of the Temple. 

“You remember, Eachel,’’ remarked Miriam, ^Hhat we 
must go to the Dove Bazaar, on the Mount of Olives, to 
procure our Temple offerings for to-morrow. Let us pro- 
ceed thither before the shadows fall. I have here in 
my girdle pieces of silver which will suffice for their 
purchase.” 

“Peradventure Aziel of Arimathaea will not be loath to 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


19 


lend us his company over the bridge,” rejoined Kachel, as 
she perceived the youth approaching, and was not averse 
to her young charges having so gallant a protector as they 
passed beyond the walls of the city. 

As Aziel was an old friend, his family having been 
acknowledged by the family of the fair J ewess as intimate 
friends for generations, he was privileged to approach and 
salute the maidens. 

‘‘Thou goest not home, Miriam?” inquired Aziel, as he 
joined the group. 

“Not yet,” replied Miriam; “I must go to the Dove 
Bazaar beyond the Kedron.” 

“Let me go with thee thither,” said Aziel, stepping by 
the side of the girl, whose soft, black eyes, needing no 
help of “Kohl” to add lustre to their radiance, were only 
partially concealed by the white gauze veil half shrouding 
their loveliness. Meanwhile, Jessica and Bachel followed 
a few paces behind. 

They did not descend into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, 
containing the tombs, where we first beheld the prophet 
Joshua, but crossed the Kedron by a bridge connecting the 
Temple with the Mount of Olives. Along this road the 
priests of the Temple had opened various shops, or bazaars, 
the income of which belonged to the powerful family of 
Annas, the Sadducean. The most noted of all these shops 
was a bazaar erected under two magnificent cedar-trees, 
frequented by clouds of doves. This was the Dove Bazaar, 
and, according to the Talmuds, these birds sufficed to 
supply the pigeons for sacrifice for all Israel. 

Perad venture , under these very cedar-trees, Mary, the 
mother of Jesus, purchased the doves which she offered in 
the Temple after the birth of the Divine Babe. 

It was but a few minutes^ walk outside the walls of 


20 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Jerusalem to the Valley of the Kedron, and by the bridge 
from Temple Hill the distance was even less. 

As the long ceremonies in the Temple had occupied much 
of the day, the sun was nearing its setting, as the party, 
having purchased the doves, which Rachel carried in two 
small basket-like cages, again turned their steps towards 
the city. 

As the sun is not yet down, and the city gates will still 
be open, let us return by the valley,” said Aziel to Miriam, 
desiring to prolong his conversation with the maiden, 
whom he evidently admired. It had been rumored, also, 
that Ananus, the father of Miriam, would ere this have 
proposed the betrothal of these two young friends, for the 
approval of the Sanhedrin, of which body he was “The 
Father of the House of Judgment,” but that Aziel was 
reputed to be a Christian, while Ananus still held to the 
faith of his fathers , being a strict Sadducee. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


21 


CHAPTER III. 

THE POOL OF SILOAM. — THE HOUSE ON ZION’s HILL. — THE 
FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 

As the home of Miriam, she being the daughter of one of 
high rank, was in the Upper City on Mount Zion, in 
descending the Mount of Olives they did not pass through 
the Garden of Gethsemane, but entered by the Gate of the 
Fountain, near the beginning of the saddle-shaped projec- 
tion of the Temple Hill, supposed to be the Ophel of the 
Bible. 

As Aziel and Miriam, together with Jessica and Rachel, 
approached Siloam, the setting sun flooded Mount Moriah 
with gorgeous rays, bathing the white marble colonnades 
of the Temple with ruby light, touching its roof of gold 
with a blaze of glory so resplendent as to recall to the 
mind of the devout Jew the wonderful descriptions of the 
awesome effulgence of the marvellous Shechinah, which 
no longer manifested its transcendent glory in the Holy of 
Holies. 

The Pool of Siloam was not then the ruin it now is; 
then, groves and gardens flourished around it. In the 
gardens bloomed the rose of Sharon and the lily of the 
valley, while the useful rue bordered the garden walls. 
Here and there in the grass near this sacred Siloam might 
have been seen the gorgeous scarlet lily of the east, the 
Lilium Chalcedonicum, while the purple lily of Palestine 
swayed gracefully in the evening breeze. It is supposed 
that one of these beautiful flowers was referred to by 


22 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Christ as the lily of the field, with which ‘^Not even 
Solomon in all his glory ” could be compared, for in his 
magnificent robes ‘‘he was not arrayed like one of these.” 

The Pool of Siloam was a favorite resort of the Jews. 
Its shady groves of willows, clustering vines, and sacred 
waters, together with the view of the king^s luxuriant 
gardens, where the grape-vines were trained upon the 
trunks of the fig-trees, giving force to the emblem of 
domestic happiness, as represented by “dwelling under 
one’s own vine and fig-tree,” rendered the spot delightful; 
where oaks lent their grateful shade from the noonday 
sun, while, in the gardens near, the pistachio-trees, for 
which Palestine was famous, furnished their harv^est of 
spicy nuts. 

There, too, the myrtle flourished. Not the humble vine 
we know, but a stately shrub, with green, shining leaves, 
and snow-white flowers bordered with purple, emitting a 
fragrance more exquisite than that of the rose. The date 
palms waved their feathery plumage, and in the paradise 
of the king’s gardens, the apricot, quince, and citron trees 
abounded, while orange groves perfumed the air with the 
delicious fragrance of their snowy blossoms. The pale, 
gray-green leaves of the olive-trees formed a fitting back- 
ground to the brighter tints of the fig-trees, while the 
crimson flowers of the low pomegranates rose little higher 
than the white blossoms of the tree-myrtle. 

Over the garden wall wild roses clambered; lilies clus- 
tered near the fountain; the blue-eyed flower of the flax 
mingled with the star-shaped blossom of the star of 
Bethlehem on the hillsides and in the valleys; while the 
many mustard-trees or shrubs furnished seeds for the 
linnets, goldfinches, sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, song- 
thrushes, corn -buntings, pipits, and green finches, which 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


23 


abounded in Palestine. The solitary blue thrush, eschew- 
ing the society of its own species, flitted here and there in 
pairs, but shunned the noisy chatterers on the mustard- 
trees. 

Were these the birds referred to by the Psalmist as ^Hhe 
sparrow that sitteth alone upon the house-top’^? Solo- 
mon’s fleet had brought peacocks to Jerusalem, and these 
gorgeous birds paraded in stately grandeur through the 
various walks of the king’s gardens. 

At this October season, not all these various blossoms 
were in bloom, but were numerous enough to fascinate 
the gaze, and slacken the footsteps of the wayfarer as he 
entered a vale of loveliness, ere he continued his walk up 
the hillsides leading to the Higher City. 

Aziel and Miriam had seated themselves upon the upper 
step of the stairway leading down to the Pool of Siloam, 
while Jessica and Eachel stooped to gather clusters of the 
stars of Bethlehem, — Jessica attracted by the loveliness 
of the white blossoms, but prudent Eachel gathering the 
bulbous roots of the plant, which were sometimes used for 
food. 

Aziel and Miriam had been speaking of the strange cry 
of Joshua, the prophet; and Aziel said, — 

‘‘ I have been watching for some time the signs of the 
times; peradventure some ominous event portends. This 
last terrible conflagration in Eome has raised grave rumors 
regarding the Emperor Nero, and reports have confirmed 
the stories regarding Caesar’s iniquitous burning of the 
Christians, whom he accused of having set fire to the city, 
to conceal his own connivance in the plot of wholesale 
destruction, which he thought necessary in order to obtain 
sufficient space for erecting his contemplated gorgeous 
structures.” 


24 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘ Thou callest the persecution of the Christians iniqui- 
tous, Aziel!^^ rejoined Miriam; ‘^father declares it was a 
righteous punishment. I, myself, shudder with horror at 
the awful story, for methinks it was Christian martyrdom, 
not punishment; and I begin to think thou too leanest 
towards that belief.’^ 

‘^Yea, I am a Christian,’^ replied Aziel; ‘Yior am I 
afraid to avow it. Since the time of Joseph of Arima- 
thaea, our family has lost much faith in the traditions of 
the fathers, though we still reverently hold the Torah as 
the Word of God; and I await with holy awe some great 
calamity upon our nation, for the sin of shedding that Holy 
blood. 

^Wet my father/’ rejoined Miriam, “talks bitterly 
against the Hazarene, as an impostor; but Eachel tells 
me such wonderful stories of His marvellous deeds and 
holy words, that I, too, would be a Christian, if my father 
would allow. But a Jewish maiden is subject to her 
father’s will.” 

Just then Rachel drew near, and Aziel accosted her. 

“Miriam says that thou believest in the Hazarene?” 

“Yea, by my life! ” replied Rachel, seating herself on a 
moss-bank near by. “Could I doubt the evidence of my 
own senses?” 

“Didst thou ever see the Crucified One, Rachel?” 

‘‘ Several times. Master Aziel. To be sure, I was but 
a small child ; but you remember my home was then in 
Bethany, near by the house of Martha and Mary, sisters 
of Lazarus. My mother was their friend; and she was 
one among the many Jews ‘who went to comfort them,’ 
when Lazarus, their brother, lay in the tomb.” 

“Didst thou behold that wondrous miracle, Rachel?” 
inquired Aziel. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


25 


^^Yea; though I was hut a child like Jessica, I went 
with my mother to the tomb of Lazarus; and at the word 
of Jesus I beheld Lazarus come forth from the grave. 

^‘How appeared this Jesus, Eachel?” 

“ Oh, Master Aziel, I am not fit to find the words to tell 
thee of His majesty and loveliness ! 

^^How looked He?’’ 

Like no mortal man I ever beheld. His hair and beard 
were golden brown, and seemed to be a halo of light about 
his face. His eyes were full of pity, full of sorrow, and 
yet glowing with perfect peace.” 

What was the color of His eyes?” 

scarce can tell. Though I was then so young, I 
never shall forget that face. His eyes seemed sometimes 
a heavenly blue, deep and soft as the petals of the blue 
flax-flower; and as He spoke, they darkened like midnight 
sky; then, as He gazed towards heaven, they seemed to 
have caught the color of the vault above, so azure was 
their tint. Hone ever felt those holy eyes bent on them 
without a thrill stirring the soul. His stature was impos- 
ing; yet His manners were so gentle. He seemed a pitying 
woman. His words were sublime, yet simple, so that, 
child as I was, I could understand their loving message; 
and withal so profound were they, that the best-skilled 
doctors of the law could not match His marvellous knowl- 
edge ; and yet they said He had never been taught at any 
of the schools.” 

“What was His voice like?” 

“ Oh, Master Aziel ! how can I tell thee of that wondrous 
voice? It was sweet as music, tender as a mother’s, per- 
suasive as a lover’s, sorrowful as a widow’s, comforting as 
an angel’s, yet awesome as the command of a God ! One 
glance of His eye dispelled the darkness from the soul. 


26 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


like the glorious rising of the sun; one word from His lips 
thrilled to the heart like a voice from Heaven ! 

‘‘My mother has told me much of the Nazarene, which 
she learned from my uncle, her brother, Joseph of Arima- 
thsea, who died before my remembrance/^ said Aziel; “but 
she could not tell me of the wondrous voice and appear- 
ance of the Christ, as my uncle had not described the 
Nazarene. I often go to Gethsemane and Calvary, and 
try to picture to my mind the memorable events once 
witnessed there. 

“I have been once to Gethsemane with Eachel,’^ said 
Miriam; “but when I told my father, and asked him of 
the Hazarene, he forbade me to talk of the ‘ impostor,’ as 
he called him ; and enjoined me to pray for the coming of 
the Messiah, who should prove to be the King of the 
Jews, and free our nation from the Koman yoke.” 

“But this Jesus was the King of the Jews,” said Aziel. 

“Yea, so I think,” rejoined Miriam, “and so I told my 
father; but his ire was kindled, and he said that the 
impostor had no claim to the title, and that He blasphemed 
when He declared Himself to be the Son of God.” 

“I have studied the Prophets,” said Aziel, “and I 
have noted carefully the prophecies concerning a coming 
Messiah; and I find them all fulfilled in Him; and though 
so few years have passed since this Sinless One was cruci- 
fied, behold the spreading of His Gospel. I have heard 
Paul and Peter preach concerning Him, and my soul was 
on fire with holy zeal as I listened to their burning 
words.” 

“And yet thou still goest to the Temple feasts?” said 
Miriam. 

“Yea, Miriam. Did not Christ Himself observe the 
Temple feasts? But I go more often to the Christian 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


27 


Church; and though I am not yet enrolled amongst them, 
when my father gives consent I shall avow my faith. 
Thou rememberest that my father is still a Pharisee, and 
holds to the traditions of the fathers, though my mother 
is a Christian. But my father will not allow her to 
worship with that body of believers, who are much perse- 
cuted and despised in many places. I care naught for 
persecution, but until I am older, must respect my father’s 
command. As soon as this Feast of Tabernacles is over, 
my father will send me to Alexandria on important family 
affairs connected with our commercial interests ; and then, 
perad venture, I may go to Koine, and I will then learn 
more definitely concerning this terrible burning of the 
Christians.” 

shall be loath to have thee go, Aziel. I like not this 
Eome. It seems a wicked place, and, moreover, dangerous 
to life, as well as to character.” 

“Fear not, Miriam. I have a presentiment that Jeru- 
salem will ere long be more dangerous than Eome, to both 
Jews and Christians. I have noted the spirit of revolt 
which is waxing warm against the Koman rule. The 
disturbance at Caesarea, when Felix was procurator, seems 
likely to be repeated at many other places. The reason 
of that uprising, as my father told me, was a difference 
between the Jews and Syrians, regarding the ownership of 
the city of Caesarea: the Jews claiming that the city was 
theirs, as it was built by a Jew, meaning King Herod; 
and the Syrians claiming that it was a Grecian city, as it 
was adorned with statues and temples, which could not 
have been designed for Jews, who will not allow images to 
be made. And the tumult waxed so great, that the Eoman 
soldiers were called to the assistance of the Syrians, who 
indeed could not altogether quell the insurrection ; but as 


28 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the seditioD continued, eminent men were chosen on both 
sides to argue before Caesar their several privileges. And 
in the times of Festus, who succeeded Felix, nor still at 
present, when Albinus is the procurator, have times been 
quiet, for the banditti of the caves, the ‘ Sicarii, ’ have 
become so bold that they have murdered many of repute; 
for they have mingled with the multitudes at our festivals, 
with daggers concealed under their garments, and did even 
slay Jonathan, the High Priest, and many others, so that 
no man’s life is free from danger.” 

“Yea, father has spoken of these ‘ Sicarii,’ ” said Miriam, 
‘‘and rumors are afloat that they are again gathering in 
the caves without the city.” 

“Albinus has not taken measures against these robbers, 
as Festus did,” rejoined Aziel; “and this, with other 
grave reports from Kome, fills my mind with direful 
forebodings.” 

“Hast thou heard. Master Aziel, whether the Apostle 
Paul suffered in this late terrible persecution of the Chris- 
tians in Kome?” 

“Yea, I have letters from Kome, Kachel, stating that 
Paul was released from imprisonment last year, after 
being confined in Kome two years, and so escaped this 
last persecution.” 

“Come, Miriam and Jessica,” said Kachel, “the shadows 
deepen, and we must linger no longer by this sweet Siloam, 
lest thy father shall be wrathful, and berate me.” 

“Thou art right, Kachel,” said Miriam; “we must 
hasten homeward.” 

“Wilt thou join in the Feast of Tabernacles, Miriam?” 
asked Aziel. 

“In truth, I shall,” answered Miriam, “though, as 
women, we are not forced by Jewish law to dwell in 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


29 


booths ; but I hold all religious rites as sacred duties ; and 
Kachel and I will prepare the fragrant myrtle boughs to 
twine with the weeping-willow and olive branches, which 
our men-servants will gather to construct the booth, beside 
the Temple Court, where we shall dwell until the last and 
great day of this solemn festival.’’ 

They had now reached the home of Miriam on Zion’s 
Hill, and at the outer gate young Aziel made his parting 
‘‘ Shalom ” to the sisters, while they, with Rachel, passed 
within the interior court, which, in the houses of the rich, 
formed a centre square, along the four sides of which ran 
a portico outside an outer court enclosed by a wall. 

The house was entered by a two-leaved wooden door, 
working on hinges. The bolts, locks, and keys were all of 
wood. Only the gates of a city had metal hinges. The 
house of Ananus, he being of rank and wealth, was large. 
The house proper was raised upon the columns of the 
portico, and was of two stories. The palace of Solomon 
had three stories, but the ordinary dwellings were seldom 
so high. The apartment for the feasts was large and 
sumptuous, but the sleeping apartments small. None of 
the houses had a room where the inmates could retire for 
quiet and meditation; for this, it was necessary to ascend 
to the roof, which was almost flat. Upon this roof an 
upper chamber was often constructed. This terrace- 
chamber was large, and protected from the rain and noon- 
day sun, and was a delightful place of resort, especially 
in the evening. This pavilion on the roof was also used 
as a guest-chamber, and as a place of prayer. It was in 
such an upper chamber that Jesus met with His disciples 
when He instituted the Supper. 

As Ananus belonged to a famous family of priests, and 
would, ere long, himself be chosen High Priest of the 


30 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Temple, his daughters were lodged sumptuously. His 
home was luxurious. The rooms were adorned with 
beautiful furniture, and lighted with costly candelabra. 
Eastern carpets of gorgeous hues were spread upon the 
tiled floors. In the sleeping apartments were perfumed 
couches of cedar-wood, with soft pillows, and with coverlets 
of silk and embroidered linen. In the dining-room were 
luxurious divans covered with costly tapestries; and the pa- 
latable viands and luscious fruits were served in dishes of 
delicate earthenware, or in rare and valuable glass vessels. 
Such luxurious belongings were for the rich only. The 
poor and humble in those days lived in small dwellings 
without windows, furnished only with the barest necessi- 
ties, consisting of a single lamp, a bushel, a few skins for 
wine, a broom, and a mill for grinding corn. Sometimes 
this lamp-stand was tall, and stood upon the ground; some- 
times the lamp was placed upon a stone projecting from 
the wall. The poor man^s lamp was made of clay, fllled 
with oil, and provided with one or more burners. The 
bushel was an indispensable article in the dwellings of 
the poor. It was used as a measure ; then again , turned 
upside down, and placed upon the floor, it served as a 
table , and the lamp was placed upon it. This makes clear 
the words of Jesus: “Men do not light a candle and put it 
under a bushel.’^ 

Every Jewish house, whether belonging to the rich or 
poor, was provided with the “Mezuzzah,^’ — a small oblong 
box, in which was a roll of parchment. This manuscript 
contained, in twenty-two lines, the two portions from 
Deuteronomy on love to God, and on the blessings attached 
to the obedience to the Commandments. This “ Mezuzzah 
was hung above the door of the house. 

At the hour of evening prayer, Aziel, who had returned 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 31 

to his father^s house, which also was in the Upper City, 
though the family was from Arimathaea, ascended the 
outer stairway, which in all dwellings led to the upper 
chamber, and stood upon the uncovered portion of the 
terrace, paved with brick tiles, and ornamented with large 
vases tilled with blooming plants. His face was towards 
the Temple, according to the Jewish law, and his head 
bowed. Then he repeated the prayer called ^^Shema,” 
which every morning and evening every Jew was com- 
manded to recite, women, children, and slaves alone being 
excepted. 

It mattered not where a Jew might happen to be when 
the prayer hour arrived, — in the market-place, in the 
streets, in the synagogues, in the houses ; even a man sur- 
prised by the hour of prayer while in a tree gathering 
fruit, must forthwith say his ^‘Shema.^’ Although Aziel 
was in faith a Christian, he still observed those rites of 
the Jewish ceremonial law which did not interfere with 
his Christian belief. 

Kow as the moon rose over the brow of the Mount of 
Olives, Aziel devoutly repeated aloud the evening prayer. 

The Jew rarely knelt to pray, but stood with head 
bowed; and before commencing to pray, turned towards 
Jerusalem if out of the City, towards the Temple if out 
of the Sanctuary, towards the Holy of Holies when in the 
Temple at the daily hour of prayer. 

Rachel, Miriam, and Jessica had also retired to the 
upper chamber of the house of Ananus for their evening 
devotions. Though women were exempt from the repeti- 
tion of the ^^Shema,” every Israelitish man, woman, child, 
and slave was bound to recite, three times each day, the 
“Shemoneh ’esreh,’’ or eighteen thanksgivings. This 
prayer was said in the morning, in the afternoon, and in 
the evening. 


32 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


As Miriam, Jessica, and Eachel knelt with bowed heads, 
they reverently chanted fragments of phrases taken from 
the Psalms and the Prophets ; sublime apostrophes, express- 
ing adoration, faith, humiliation, and hope. 

As the low voices of the devout women fell upon the 
responsive evening air, a nightingale, in the orange grove 
not far distant, thrilled the ether with its exquisite song, 
and seemed to waft to heaven with its own glad hymn of 
praise the words of prayer uttered by the reverent voices 
of the kneeling women. 

The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated in the autumn, 
and commemorated the journeyings of the Israelites for 
forty years in the wilderness. The Feast of the Passover, 
the great feast of the Jews, was celebrated in the month 
Nisan, corresponding to our March and April. The great 
feasts were all celebrated in the Temple; hence the 
Israelites went up to Jerusalem from all parts of Pales- 
tine. The Passover Feast especially drew people from 
many countries; even the Gentiles made it a custom to 
visit Jerusalem at this time. The Feast of Tabernacles 
also marked the beginning of the Jewish civil year, their 
New Year being the 1st Tishri. The Day of Atonement, 
which we have already described, occurred on the 10th 
Tishri. On the 11th, 12th, and 13th Tishri, the people 
gathered together, and prepared the booths of branches of 
willow, palm, pine, olive, and myrtle; and on the 15th 
began the Feast of Tabernacles. 

During the eight days of the feast, every family dwelt 
in a leafy tabernacle formed of these fragrant boughs. 
This feast was marked by great demonstrations of joy. 
Hosannahs were sung, palm-branches waved; and each 
day a libation of wine was poured over the altar from two 
silver vessels, and water, drawn in a golden pitcher from 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


33 


the fountain of Siloam, was brought by a priest to the 
Temple, and as he ascended the altar steps, the people 
said, — 

“ Lift up thy hand ! 

And the sacred water was thereupon poured over the 
altar, the priests taking care that the water be poured 
towards the west, as the wine had been towards the east. 

In the evening two lamps were lighted in the Court of 
the Women, where there was a sacred dance to the sound 
of music. 

On the seventh day of this feast, Miriam stood at the 
door of the leafy bower, where dwelt the family of Ananus 
during the sacred week. On this day the leaves would be 
stripped from the willow boughs with which the booths 
had been covered. The Pharisees attached so much im- 
portance to this ceremony that they permitted it to be done 
on the Sabbath, when the seventh of the feast fell upon 
that day. The dwelling in booths ended on the evening 
of the seventh day, but the eighth was observed as an 
additional holy day. 

As Miriam stood holding in her hand a branch of myrtle, 
upon which the fragrant white blossoms had given place 
to the aromatic seeds, Aziel approached the booth, and 
saluted her gracefully. 

“As the willows of my father’s tent have been already 
stripped of their leaves, I thought, perchance, I might aid 
thee, as thou hast no brother, and thy father Ananus is 
engaged in Temple services.” 

“Thou art indeed kind,” said Miriam, “though we need 
not thy proffered help, as my father’s men-servants are 
numerous. As this booth will soon be taken down, I was 
preparing to depart with Jessica and Eachel to my father’s 
house. But this myrtle is so pretty, with its fragrant 


3 


34 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


spicy seeds, I fain would carry some of it to the roof- 
pavilion, to place in vases there. 

“Let me bear for thee an armful thither/’ exclaimed 
Aziel, delighted to avail himself of this opportunity of 
converse with the maiden. 

will accept that offer gladly,” answered Miriam. 

At this moment Kachel and Jessica appeared, bearing 
some of the small articles of personal use, which a week’s 
residence in the booth, of willows had rendered necessary. 
Thereupon, Miriam also went into the tent to gather her 
own especial part of a fair woman’s trinkets, while the 
maid and men servants carried the weightier articles of 
household comfort. 

By this time Aziel had collected a sufficient number of 
myrtle boughs, and joined Miriam, Jessica, and Kachel, 
as they left the booth to walk over the bridge connecting 
Mount Moriah with Zion’s Hill. 

Aziel and Miriam were a little in advance of the others, 
and reached the house of Ananus first; and ascending the 
outer stairway, were soon within the roof pavilion, which 
was spacious enough to contain the covered apartment, and 
still leave room for an upper garden, over the balustrades 
of which vines and flowers clambered, making it a bower 
of beauty in the summer time. This bright October 
weather had not robbed it of much of its floral beauty, for 
many plants were still in blossom, and growing shrubs 
still rendered the spot delightful at the time of noonday 
rest, as well as in the evening hours, when the moon 
flooded the court with, her silvery light. It was now the 
time between the morning and the evening services, and 
so Miriam and Aziel were free to spend a little time in 
friendly conversation. 

Just then Jessica and Kachel joined them on the roof- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


35 


terrace, and Rachel had brought some cooling drink, and 
baskets of ripe fruits, and costly glass dishes filled with 
the rich sweetmeats to which women of the Orient are so 
partial. 

‘‘ I must depart on the 22d Tishri for Alexandria, ” said 
Aziel, glancing with unusual attention towards Miriam. 

My father desires,” he added, perceiving with pleasure 
that her color deepened, and her eyes grew sad, betokening 
that she was not indifferent to his actions, “that I should 
have a year’s study at Alexandria and at Athens, and I 
shall then proceed to Rome.” 

“ My father will miss thy presence in our household 
greatly,” said Miriam, endeavoring to assume a calm man- 
ner, which did not entirely conceal her evident regrets. 

“ Why dost thou not say we shall all miss him, Miriam? ” 
interjected Jessica, being at that more unconscious age 
when maidens can be frank, and not be, perad venture, 
misunderstood, as displaying too forward an address. “ I 
shall miss thee, Aziel, whether Miriam does or not. Who 
will gather my flowers, train my birds, untangle my vexing 
skeins of flax, or bring the news of the latest pretty pet 
offered in the market-place?” 

“I thank thee, Jessica. I did not know that I was 
accounted by thee as such a very useful personage,” 
answered Aziel, tossing an apricot to the bright young 
girl, but looking meantime at Miriam. 

“Yea, we shall all miss thee, Aziel,” said Miriam, thus 
challenged by her sportive sister, and seemingly nothing 
loath to have this fitting opportunity to express her per- 
sonal regrets. As Jewish youth and maiden, it would 
not have been becoming that warmer interest should be 
manifested between them, until Ananus, Miriam’s father, 
had spoken either to the young man or to his father. 


36 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


^‘Well, Master Aziel/^ said Eachel, doubt thou 

wilt see strange things at Koine. I would fear much for 
thee, but that thou art a Christian, and that faith guards 
our souls from many worldly dangers. Mayest thou never 
hesitate to avow thy faith, Aziel, for I am sure the help 
of the Christ will be with thee, to keep thee from all 
harm; or, if needs be, to give thee the courage to suffer 
for His sake.’’ 

^^May the Christ guard also this household! ” said Aziel, 
as he rose to depart. “Miriam, trust the Hazarene, for 
He is indeed the Divine Messiah promised to our people,” 
continued the youth, with reverent voice. “I have a fear 
that this nation must suffer much tribulation, and, per- 
chance, Jerusalem shall be destroyed, as the Crucified One 
did foretell; for even the Holy Temple was marked by 
the power of God, when the sacred veil was rent before 
the Holy of Holies, when the Divine One hung upon the 
Cross. That rent veil is a solemn witness to me of the 
Divinity of the Nazarene. Perchance the Temple also 
must fall in token of the will of God, that we should wor- 
ship the Christ, and rely no longer on the ceremonials of 
the Jewish worship.” 

believe with thee, Aziel,” responded Miriam, giving 
him a parting glance of more than friendly interest; for 
his words had so moved her soul that she laid aside for a 
moment her usual reserve. Perchance we also may be 
called upon to suffer for the Christian faith.” 

Should that day come, Miriam, may the power of the 
Crucified One sustain us! ” said Aziel, with deep emotion. 

Call the Hazarene no longer the Crucified One, but the 
Kisen Lord ! ” exclaimed Kachel ; for I am as confident 
of His Kesurrection as I am of the miracle I beheld Him 
perform at the tomb of Lazarus. Moreover, my mother 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


37 


met the women coming from the empty sepulchre after 
they had seen the angel who declared the Lord was risen ; 
and I myself have talked with one of the disciples who 
was among those gathered in that room when Christ 
appeared in the midst of them, and said, ^ Peace be unto 
you ! ^ 

‘‘I doubt not His resurrection,” rejoined Aziel, ^Hor that 
is to my mind the great proof of His Divinity. I hope 
yet to question Paul or Peter on this subject. But I do 
bid thee farewell, Miriam,” he continued; “the hour for 
evening service in the Temple draws nigh. To the 
‘ Shalom ^ of the Talmuds I will add the Christian bene- 
diction, ‘ May the Lord be with thee ! The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit!' And so, 
farewell I ” 

After these parting words , Aziel returned to the Temple ; 
and Miriam sat for a time in silence, while Jessica and 
Rachel accompanied Aziel to the gate. Miriam preferred 
to be alone, as she realized for the first time how much 
the companionship of Aziel had been to her through the 
years of her past life; and to her own heart she acknowl- 
edged, with tears and sighs, the pain this absence would 
bring to her. 


38 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER IV. 

RAMBLES IN ROME IN THE FIRST CENTURY. AZIEL VISITS 

ROME. AZIEL AND PLACIDUS AMIDST THE TEMPLES OF 

THE IMPERIAL CITY. THE ROMAN FORUM. 

It was the year of our Lord, 66. After spending a year 
in Alexandria, Aziel had now been for several months in 
Athens. 

In the Augustan era, Athens might still claim to be the 
most illustrious city in the world. Although her political 
power had been overthrown three hundred years before, 
her conquerors had respected her sacred site, and many 
rulers had contributed to the adornment of her temples, 
the erection of magnificent edifices, and the replanting of 
those famous groves, partly laid waste during the siege of 
Sulla. 

Antiochus Epiphanes, Attalus, King of Pergamus, 
Ptolemy Philadelphus, Julius and Augustus, Agrippa 
and Appius Claudius, all aided in the embellishment of 
the “City of Minerva.’^ 

The imposing Temple of Zeus Olympius, the statues 
adorning the walls of the Acropolis, the Groves of Acade- 
inus, the portico dedicated to Minerva, with costly gym- 
nasiums and splendid fanes, testified to the munificence of 
her conquerors. 

Though the walls of Athens lay in ruins, her fame and 
glory were still her irresistible defence, and the magic 
wand of the Muses her royal sceptre of power, before 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


39 


which even her foreign foes bowed in admiring deference. 
None were more enthusiastic worshippers at her classic 
shrine than the sons of her Italian conquerors. 

In the summer days of this year, Aziel turned his face 
towards Rome. 

Before the conquests of Caesar and Pompey, the map of 
the Empire was little more than a chart of the countries 
bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Cicero had said, regard- 
ing the states and colonies of Greece throughout the world, 
^^They are a fringe on the skirts of barbarism.’’ And 
Plato had written: ‘‘We, who dwell from the Phasis to 
the Pillars of Hercules, inhabit only a small portion of the 
earth, in which we have settled round the sea, like ants 
and frogs around a marsh ; ” for the Roman power had not 
penetrated far beyond sight of the friendly waves of the 
Mediterranean, until the conquest of Gaul, Spain, and 
Lesser Asia. 

The consolidation of the Roman Empire over the several 
coasts of the Mediterranean made this sea the common 
highway of all civilized nations; and a summer day’s sail 
of twenty-four hours was often 1,300 stadia, or 162 Roman 
miles. 

Vessels sometimes reached the coast of Africa from the 
mouth of the Tiber in two days, Massilia in three, Tarrace 
in four, and the Pillars of Hercules in seven. From 
Puteoli, the transit to Alexandria, with moderate winds, 
had been accomplished in nine days. But only in the 
spring and summer months was the navigation of the 
Mediterranean thus easy and rapid. 

From Alexandria came the corn-fleets of Egypt. From 
India the products were conveyed direct from the mouth 
of the Indus, and the coast of Malabar, to the ports of 
Cleopatris or Berenice, taking advantage of the periodical 


40 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


trade- winds. Ivory and tortoise-shell, fabrics of silk and 
cotton, pearls and diamonds, gums and spices, were the 
precious freights brought from India and exchanged for 
gold and silver, to the amount of 100,000,000 sesterces, or 
800,000 pounds yearly. To these were added the papyrus 
from the Nile, woollens from Miletus and Laodicea, Asiatic 
and Greek wines, gold and silver from the Spanish mines, 
wild animals from Africa, and marbles from the choicest 
quarries of Greece and Asia. 

In this year of our Lord, 66, Rome was in the zenith of 
her glory. She was the proud mistress of the world, and 
the Roman Campagna was then as Pliny describes it : — 

Its fertile plains, sunny hills, healthy woods, thick 
groves, rich varieties of trees, breezy mountains, fertility in 
fruits, vines, and olives ; its noble flocks of sheep, and 
abundant herds of cattle ; its numerous lakes, and wealth 
of rivers and streams flowing in upon its many seaports in 
whose lap the commerce of the world lies : such is the 
happy and beautiful amenity of the Campagna, that it 
seems to be the work of a rejoicing nature.’’ 

And the city itself was no less attractive than the 
smiling landscape surrounding it. Magnificent temples, 
spacious Forums, gorgeous palaces, glittering circuses, enor- 
mous amphitheatres, triumphal arches, imperial statues, 
Grecian, Roman, Oriental, and barbaric grandeur, all met 
in this marvellous spot. 

It was, in truth, the centre of the world’s traffic. 
Every one rushed to Rome. Those engaged in the arts 
and sciences, those who desired to appeal to Caesar for the 
adjustment of personal or family rights, those who would 
fawn and flatter those in power, those who desired to seek 
fortunes through legitimate avenues of trade, as well as 
those who cared only for the coveted gold, even though it 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


41 


might be seized through adventure and fraud, those who 
wished to revel in pleasures and luxuries, — all went to 
Home, where one met on the streets the highly cultured 
Greek, the uneducated provincial, the wealthy Alexandrian 
corn-merchant, the half savage African, who had brought to 
Rome royal lions for the gladiatorial combats to honor the 
triumph of a Caesar; or one saw the wily Syrian selling 
amulets and charms, or the proud Gaul, exulting in his 
newly secured rights of Roman citizenship, and the ever 
present Jew, intent on his silver shekels. The picturesque 
Hindoo, the then barbaric German, and the Saxon-haired 
Briton were also there, while the Illyrian and Thracian 
soldier, the Arab archer, and the members of the Praetorian 
Guards, forced to bear the Roman eagles in the wars, 
might often be seen mingling with the surging crowds. 
The conquests of Sulla, Lucullus, and Pompey had extended 
the dominion of the Romans over the then known world; 
and Roman and Grecian orators and writers were boastful 
in asserting her imperial sway. 

The Greeks, seeking to excuse their own defeat* lauded 
the power and glory of their conquerors, and Roman 
orators were swift to repeat the eulogistic strains; for 
Cicero declared ‘Hhat the whole globe was shaken by the 
convulsion of the civil wars;’’ and though Virgil, Horace, 
Tibullus, and Propertius touched this tempting theme 
with moderation, the facetious Ovid laid aside all reserve 
of expression, and in asserting the irresistible power of 
Rome, defied Jove himself to descry, from his Olympian 
Mount, any object upon this terrestrial sphere which was 
not Roman; while Seneca declared that if Rome did not 
possess the entire world, she at least was mistress of all 
realms worth having. 

The long period of peace following the exhausting wars 


42 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


of Germanicus, enabled the inhabitants of the Roman 
provinces to develop their resources, and to enlarge and 
adorn their cities. Splendid edifices, temples, theatres, 
schools, aqueducts, and gymnasiums were rapidly reared, 
while military posts were converted into commercial 
stations, where the wine and oil, gold and silver of Spain 
and Gaul, were exchanged for the fur and amber of the 
German provinces. 

At the time of our story, there were in Rome two men 
of wide diversity of character, — Nero, disgracing his royal 
crown, and Paul of Tarsus, transforming his Mamertine 
prison-cell into a throne of glory: the one the incarna- 
tion of evil, the other the manifestation of the glorious 
power of a spiritual inspiration; the one the impersona- 
tion of the world, the flesh, and the devil, the other the 
sublime illustration of the Light, the Truth, and the 
Spirit. 

From the Forum, where the Emperor Augustus had 
erected a golden milestone, a network of magnificent high- 
ways spread throughout the vast Roman empire, connect- 
ing the conquered world with the Imperial City. 

Over these numerous ways, spreading through Spain, 
France, Italy, and from the green banks of the Nile to 
the blue waters of the Danube, Roman legions marched 
with their victorious eagles, while swift couriers bore the 
edicts of the Emperors, and vast caravans carried the com- 
merce of the world. 

On these roads Paul had made his missionary tours 
through Syria, Cilicia, Phrygia, Galatia, Macedonia, and 
Greece. The churches in Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, and 
Rome had already been founded, while the believers in 
Jerusalem, at this time, held a prominent place among 
the early Christian churches. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


43 


Judaism and heathenism were skilful and active foes, 
waging hot warfare against Christianity. Eoman victors, 
Grecian stoics, Jewish ritualists, Alexandrian philoso- 
phers, and Oriental dreamers combined against the meek 
and lowly messengers of the much despised Gospel, which 
inculcated the strange doctrine of a universal love. “ Wit, 
sarcasm, reverence for the past, the pride of human reason, 
the cunning of covetousness, the accumulated resources of 
human wisdom and human depravity, were all marshalled 
against Christianity.’’ 

The Christians had suffered bitter persecutions. The 
hand refuses to describe, and the mind shrinks back in 
horror from the pictures which the imagination suggests 
of the diabolical orgies of Nero’s spectacular scenes of 
enforced Christian martyrdom. The Eoman populace 
invited to Nero’s gardens were furnished with brutal 
exhibitions of human cruelty, and exquisitely designed 
acmes of mental and physical torture. For here Nero, 
“The Beast from the Abyss,” as he was symbolized by 
John, in the Apocalypse of Eevelations, the infamous 
anti-Christ, calling himself a god, drove his chariot, with 
fiendish delight, by the glare of that awful illumination, 
when he made human torches of hundreds of Christians, 
by wrapping them in pitchy garments, and burning them 
at the stake ; while, in a neighboring amphitheatre, he 
had prepared for twenty thousand spectators the bloody 
spectacle of witnessing Christian men, women, and chil- 
dren being ^ torn to pieces by wild beasts; and Paul was 
soon to be beheaded by the order of this same emperor, 
while Peter would ere long suffer martyrdom upon the 
cross. 

And yet the Eoman Empire was to be the agency of 
advancing the Christian Church; for here, for the first 


44 


THE BOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


time, all the nations of the world became united. Kome’s 
geographical position made her the fitting centre of all 
the cultivated people of that time. From this point, as 
another has said : ^ ‘‘ The world was conquered and con* 
trolled. For this were the Komans endowed. They were 
not a people of peace, but of war ; not a nation of thinkers, 
but of deeds ; not rich in arts , but great in bravery and 
political sagacity, equipped with a rare power of assimila- 
tion, a marvellous gift for organization, and a strong 
instinct for legislation and government. Their empire, 
brought together by reckless violence, was constrained, by 
a Divine Providence, to advance the kingdom of Eternal 
Love. 

Latin was the popular language in the Western provinces, 
and was known in Palestine and on the Nile. But the 
Greek tongue was lifted to the rank of a universal lan- 
guage; it was understood alike in the East and the West. 
This was a great factor in the extension of Christianity. 
A missionary activity like that of Paul was possible only 
in an empire like the Homan. 

The Koman legions were established in Spain, Gaul, 
North Africa, Syria, on the Hhine and Danube, and in 
farther Britain ; but in Greece, though Home was the 
couqueror, she found herself also the conquered. By 
force she had subjugated the country externally; but 
internally the higher culture of the Greeks ruled through 
the superior power of the mind. 

Through the universal intercourse and interchange of 
the Koman Empire, national characteristics lost their dis- 
tinctive peculiarities. ‘‘The styles of art commingled; 
Grecian finish and Oriental massiveness met in the colossal 

' The Conflict of Christianity with Heathenism, Dr. Gerhard Uhl- 
horn. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


45 


edifices of the Empire.” The world has never before nor 
since been so rich in famous works of art. Not only 
Rome, but many of the provincial cities abounded in the 
finest specimens of both architectural and ornamental art. 
Exquisite works of sculpture and imposing edifices adorned 
many Roman colonial cities, and even among barbarous 
nations might be found imitations of works of Grecian art, 
the originals of which graced the palaces of the Caesars 
in Rome. 

All the utensils of daily life were fashioned after models 
of art, and in manufactures of earthenware in the countries 
bordering on the Rhine and Danube, Grecian patterns 
were faithfully copied, so that the entire environments 
of men^s houses were permeated with the influence of 
Grecian art. 

Culture tended to become universal. Numerous schools 
were founded. Books were widely diffused; and so 
speedily were copies made of them by slaves, who had 
acquired the skill of rapid writing, that scrolls of numer- 
ous works were as cheap as the modern books. Pliny 
expressed pleasure that his books were sold in Lyons. 
Public libraries were opened in Rome. The educated were 
expected to be well informed upon all subjects. Foreign 
plants and animals were acclimated in Roman gardens. 
Those who had not seen Athens and Alexandria, were 
scarcely recognized among persons of liberal education. 

Thus, while the Roman eagles conquered the world, 
Grecian culture held the ascendency over men^s minds. 
Thus was originated the Grseco-Roman culture, to which 
must be added the Oriental influence. While the Roman 
spirit ruled in the domain of government and law, and the 
Greek in that of art and science, the Oriental impressed 
itself upon the religious life.” Thus, until the founding 


46 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


of the vast Eoman Empire, comprising all nations and 
peoples, the thought of a universal religion would have 
been entirely unintelligible, and though still strange to 
the Koman of the age of the Emperors, it was no longer 
incomprehensible, for he beheld an empire formed of di- 
verse nationalities; and in Kome all religious beliefs were 
tolerated. ‘‘The Universalism of the Koman Empire was 
the first step towards the Universalism of Christianity.’^ 

This general diffusion of art, though a progress as 
regards the world, by this general expansion of knowledge, 
made individual notoriety less prominent. “Neither a 
Sophocles nor a Phidias, neither a Pericles nor a Scipio, 
could then have arisen.” But the world, passing out from 
its ancient narrowness of thought and life, became capable 
of understanding the universalism of, Christianity. The 
Koman Empire, notwithstanding its universalism, was not 
able to produce from itself a Christian universalism; for 
it lacked the thought of humanity^ and therefore failed to 
rightly cultivate and appreciate true national unity, which 
does not prevent diversity, but is only possible where the 
rights of humanity are upheld by a common Christianity. 

It was on a bright summer morning that Aziel, having 
landed in Brundusium, was approaching Rome; for from 
whichever side of Italy one approached the city, he 
emerged from the defiles of an amphitheatre of hills, upon 
a wide, open plain, forming the Campagna, near the centre 
of which rose the Seven Hills, — the Palatine, the Aven- 
tine, the Capitoline, the Esquiline, the Quirinal, the 
Viminal, and the Caelian, to which may be added the extra- 
mural eminence of the Pincian. Of these hills, the Aven- 
tine alone was a distinct eminence separated from the 
others. The Palatine was connected with the Esquiline 
by the low ridge of the Velia, and the Capitoline was in 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


47 


like manner attached to the northern extremity of the 
Quirinal, till severed by an artificial cutting a century 
after Augustus. The other hills were, in fact, merely 
tongues, or spurs, projecting inwards from a common base. 

There were two main routes from the provinces to the 
Capitol, — the Appian Way, from Greece and Africa, and 
the Flaminian, from Gaul. The approach to the city was 
also indicated by the great aqueducts, the most imposing 
in their character of any of the Eoman constructions. In 
the time of Augustus, seven aqueducts brought water from 
different, sources to Kome. Some of these streams were 
conveyed underground in leaden pipes; others, like the 
Aqua Marcia, which was drawn from the Volscian moun- 
tains, was conducted on a succession of stone arches, for a 
distance of 7000 paces, to the Esquiline. 

The famous Appian Way was begun b. c. 312, by Appius 
Claudius the Blind. It started at the Porta Capena and 
was crossed by the Appian Aqueduct, and thence was car- 
ried by Claudius over the Pontine marshes as far as Capua, 
and afterwards extended to Brundusium. Its breadth was 
such that two chariots might meet and pass upon it. It 
was paved with smooth and polished stones throughout, 
and the road was lined with temples, villas, and tombs, 
for it was against the Koman law to bury within the city 
walls. 

The bases of the mountains around Rome were clustered 
with the villas and gardens of wealthy citizens. After 
passing Lanuvium, the Appian Way crossed a valley 
where was Aricia, an easy stage from the Imperial City. 
Ancient Rome had neither cupola nor bell-tower, nor any 
of the lofty spires which adorn the modern city. When 
viewed from the site of Aricia, it seemed a wide-spread 
collection of buildings, blended into an indiscriminate 


48 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


mass ; for the distance concealed the contrasts between the 
tenements of the poor and the golden-roofed palaces, 
marble colonnades, gorgeous baths, magnificent temples, 
costly monuments, and imposing theatres, which a nearer 
view spread out before the enchanted eye of the beholder. 
From Aricia could be seen the blue Sabine mountains, 
which walled in the Campagna, with Soracte in the dis- 
tance; from thence the Campagna stretched round the base 
of the Alban Hills, far across to the sea. 

As one approached Home by the Appian Way, ‘^The 
Queen as it was proudly termed, of all Ways, the oldest 
and longest and most frequented, that led to the Imperial 
City from the south, the stranger was greatly impressed 
by the wayside spectacle, characteristically Homan, of the 
memorials of the dead. The sepulchres of twenty genera- 
tions lined the highroad for many miles. Each patrician 
family had its own mausoleum, where the ashes of its 
departed members, and often of its slaves and freedmen, 
reposed beneath a common roof. Marble columns, shaded 
by funereal cypresses, guarding the approach to massive 
tombs, met the eye on every side. 

To traverse the Appian Way is a five days’ journey for a 
good walker. Aziel, accompanied by the Homan soldier 
Placidus, whom we saw in Jerusalem on the Day of Atone- 
ment, and who had been sent to Home on military affairs, 
had arrived within five miles of the walls of the Imperial 
City. 

What are these monuments I see here to the right?” 
asked Aziel. 

This is the famous plain where the Horatii decided the 
fate of the young Hepublic,” answered Placidus, who was 
a native of Home. These are to commemorate the Homan 
and Sabine champions who fell here.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


49 


As the young men approached the first milestone, as 
measured from the Servian gates, they passed under the 
Arch of Drusus, and the road thence descended a gentle 
slope into the hollow of the Aqua Crabra. Here the monu- 
ments of the dead were clustered more closely together. 

Whose are these sepulchres?’’ inquired Aziel. 
perceive that, like our custom in Jerusalem, ye Eomans 
bury the dead without the city.” 

‘‘These mausoleums are those of illustrious families,” 
answered Placidus, pleased to enumerate the famous names 
of Koine’s past heroes. “Here repose the ashes of the 
Scipios, the Furii, the Manilii, the Servilii, Calatini, and 
Marcelli. And hard by is the tomb where the ashes of 
the slaves of Augustus and Livia were placed under a 
common dome.” 

“I see a solitary tomb yonder,” remarked Aziel, as the 
travellers advanced. 

“Yea; that is the tomb of Horatia, slain by her patriot 
brother because she wept for her foreign lover. There, 
beside that rivulet, the Almo, on the southern slope of the 
Caelian Hill, is the famous grotto of Egeria. That is the 
Valley of the Muses, and there is the Fountain of Egeria, 
where Numa Pompilius is described as having his mysteri- 
ous meetings with the Nymph Egeria.” 

As the young men came nearer to the city gate, a temple 
crowned the eminence which fronted the Porta Capena, 
one of the most famous gates of the city. 

“To whose honor was this building reared?” asked 
Aziel, evincing a growing interest with every step towards 
the Imperial City, of which he had heard so much; though, 
as a Jew, he could not acknowledge that any other city 
was to be compared with Jerusalem The Beautiful. 

“That is the Temple of Mars,” replied Placidus, “erected 

4 


50 THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 

during the Gallic war. From this spot the Eoman knights 
are accustomed to ride to the Temple of Castor, in the 
Forum, on the anniversary of the Battle of Lake Eegillus. 
On the Ides of Julius, these knights, clothed in their 
richest attire, crowned with olive wreaths, and wearing 
all their badges of honor, start from this Temple of Mars, 
ride through the Via Appia to the Sacra Via, and thence 
to the Temple of Castor, where costly sacrifices are made. 
It is one of our most gorgeous processions, next to the 
great triumphs of victorious generals. Still nearer to the 
gate, on the right side of the road,” Placidus continued, 
^Hhou beholdest the twin Temples of Honor and Virtue, 
erected by the great Marcellus after his conquest of 
Syracuse. He adorned these temples with the earliest 
spoils of foreign painting. It was from the steps of these 
temples that the Eoman populace greeted Cicero upon his 
return from exile.” 

Aziel and Placidus now entered the Porta Capena, a 
spot of much interest. This arch was continually dripping 
with the water of the aqueduct passing over it, and all 
who travelled by the Appian Way entered the city through 
this memorable gateway. Illustrious generals, at the head 
of their victorious legions, proudly bearing aloft Eome’s 
irresistible eagles, entering this ancient Porta, proceeded 
on their triumphal march through the city, usually taking 
the route between the Caelian and Palatine Hills, over the 
ridge known as the Velia, where afterwards stood the Arch 
of Titus, and thence descending by the Via Sacra into that 
centre of imperial power, the famous Forum. What the 
imposing Acropolis was to Athens, the Forum was to 
Eome. Surrounded by stately edifices, it contained the 
‘‘Milliarium Aureum,” or golden milestone, to which all 
the highways of the known world led. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


61 


Although we have mentioned only Aziel and Placidus, 
they had not been solitary pedestrians along the Appian 
Way. As it was commonly the practice among the Eomans 
to travel by carriages at night, there were not many vehicles 
on this great highway; but crowds of all nationalities, and 
from all climes, speaking all the known dialects of the 
world, were observed by Aziel with curious interest. As 
Jerusalem was also the centre of much traffic, this feature 
was not novel to Aziel, and did not divert his attention 
from the famous villas, palaces, and stately temples which 
surrounded him on all sides. 

Aziel and Placidus had moved with the swaying multi- 
tudes, not between the Caelian and Palatine Hills, follow- 
ing the path of the victorious Caesar, but had taken the 
course, though not the most direct one, which led through 
the Circus Maximus, which lay in the area between the 
Palatine and Aventine Hills. This superb circus, con- 
structed by Tarquinius Drusus, had been extended by 
Julius Caesar, who surrounded it with a canal ten feet 
deep, and as many broad, to protect the spectators from 
the chariots during the races. 

Claudius rebuilt the carceres with marble, and gilded 
the metce, or goals. Two hundred and sixty thousand 
spectators could assemble within its enclosure. 

In the Circus Maximus rose the flame-shaped obelisk, 
symbol of the sun, transplanted from Heliopolis, and placed 
here by the Emperor Augustus in honor of Apollo. 

The Circus Maximus was a vast amphitheatre surrounded 
by three rows of seats called cavece, A spina, or low wall, 
at each end of which were the metce, or goals, was erected 
in the centre of the area, enclosing the obelisk. At regular 
distances between the goals were columns supporting egg- 
shaped balls, termed ova, and dolphins, or delpliince. 


62 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


One of these was put up for each circuit made in the race. 
The dolphins and balls were each seven in number. The 
career es^ or stalls for horses and chariots, were at the 
extremity of the Circus, at the end forming a square, 
termed the Oppidiim, from its external resemblance to a city 
having walls and towers. The ^diles usually furnished 
the money for the expense of the games, and this was 
often so onerous that Caesar was obliged to sell his Tiberine 
Villa to meet the great cost of the entertainments given to 
the populace during his aedileship. On account of the many 
myrtle’trees abounding in the valley between the Palatine 
and Aventine Hills, the vale was originally called Vallis 
Murcia, from an altar erected to the Dea Murcia (Venus). 

At the western extremity stood the Temples of Ceres, 
Liber, and Libera. Hear by was the famous ox-market, 
Forum Boarium.” In the centre there stood a brazen 
bull, brought from Egina, and commemorating the story 
of the oxen of Geryon, left by Hercules to pasture on this 
site, and which afterwards were stolen by Cacus. Livy 
describes this place as a market for oxen. Hear here 
stood the Temple of Fortune, and the Temple of Hercules 
Victor, erected by Pompey. Hot far distant was the Arch 
of Janus, with its four equal sides and arches turned to 
the tour points of the compass. It was ornamented with 
bas-reliefs. Those engaged in traffic in the Forum used 
this arch as a shelter from the sun and rain. On the left 
of the arch was an alley spanned by the arch of the 
celebrated Cloaca Maxima, the famous drain made by 
Tarquinius Prisons, fifth king of Home, to dry the marshy 
land of the Velabrum. The Cloaca extended from the 
Forum to the Tiber. Pliny was filled with wonder, that 
after seven hundred years, it had withstood the earth- 
quakes and inundations. Agrippa navigated its entire 
length in a boat. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


53 


On the right bank of the Tiber was the Temple of Vesta, 
supposed by some to have been the ^milian Temple of 
Hercules, mentioned in the tenth book of Livy. It is 
known to have existed in the time of Vespasian, although 
it suffered injury in the fire, A. d. 64; it was surrounded 
by twenty graceful and slender Corinthian columns. It 
was in front of the Temple of Vesta that the body of 
Julius Caesar was burned, and was nearly opposite to his 
own house, and the Julian Kostra. 

Not far from this Temple stood the Temple of Fortuna, 
built by Servius Tullius, and rebuilt during the republic. 
It was surrounded by Doric pilasters covered with hard 
stucco, and supporting an entablature adorned with figures 
of children, oxen, and candelabra. The Eoman matrons 
esteemed this goddess most highly, for she was supposed 
to have the power of concealing their personal imperfec- 
tions from the eyes of men. 

Not far away was the Pons Lapideus, built b. c. 142. 
It was then the only stone bridge in Home. From this 
bridge was a fine view of the Temple of Vesta and the 
Arch of the Cloaca Maxima. It was from the Pons 
Lapideus that the body of the Emperor Heliogabalus was 
thrown into the Tiber. 

On the west side of the Tiber was the ^^Trastevere,” the 
^^city across the Tiber, — that portion of Pome which is 
most unchanged from mediaeval times, whose narrow 
streets are overlooked by many ancient towers. Gothic 
windows, and curious fragments of sculpture. 

The Porta Carmentalis was connected with the Forum 
by the Vicus Jugarius. It was by this route that the 
Fabii went forth to meet their doom in the valley of the 
Cremera. 

Having passed through the Circus Maximus, and around 


64 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the northwestern slope of the Palatine Hill, by way of the 
Via Nova, Aziel and Placidus had reached that part of 
the Via Sacra from which can be had the finest view of the 
Forum and Capitoline Hill. They stood at the highest 
point of the road, where the Arch of Titus was afterwards 
erected, and the Capitol, with all its glories, suddenly 
burst upon their view. 

The magnificent Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus crowns 
the Capitoline Hill. It stands now before Aziel and 
Placidus, with its columns of Pentelic marble, brought by 
Sulla from the Temple of Jupiter Olympius at Athens. 
But it is destined soon to be laid in ruins by the soldiers 
of Vitellius, to be afterwards rebuilt by Vespasian, to cele- 
brate the triumph of himself and Titus over Jerusalem. 

Up the stone steps of this temple Claudius had climbed 
on his knees, as an act of humility in the eyes of Koine, 
over which empire he had reluctantly consented to reign 
after the assassination of his nephew, Caligula. This 
same Caesar had received the name Caligula as a title 
given him by the Koman soldiers, when in his infancy he 
had been arrayed in military uniform, and was particularly 
proud of his ^Uittle boots, which is the meaning of the 
word Caligula. This Emperor was himself prone to give 
odd names to those about him in his youth, and had called 
the Empress Livia ‘‘Ulysses in petticoats.” 

“Truly, this Kome is full of temples,” said Aziel. “In 
Jerusalem we have but one, where all must worship.” 

“Yea, Rome is indeed a Babel of religions,” answered 
Placidus; “the gods of the known earth are gathered here 
in this chiefest city of the world. Every one may worship 
his own god. The Athenians can worship their Athene 
in Kome; the Syrians, their Syrian goddess; and ye 
Jews, your Jehovah. The temples of the gods may be 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


55 


found in ail places, cities, suburbs, and provinces of the 
Koman Empire. ‘ Our country is so peopled with gods, ’ 
says Petronius, ‘that it is easier to find a god than a 
man. ’ ” 

“Keligion is a political adjunct, is it not?’^ 

“Yea. In Rome the State is everything; therefore 
religion is interwoven with public life in a great degree. 
Cicero has said, ‘ Our ancestors were never wiser, never 
more inspired by the gods, than when they determined 
that the same persons should preside over the rites and 
ceremonies of religion and the government of the State.’ 
The priest, who holds so high a rank in Jerusalem and the 
East, is in Rome completely overshadowed by the states- 
man. Our consuls offered sacrifices, and our emperors 
officiate as high priests. In the time of the Republic, the 
State was represented by the Capitoline Jupiter. Now 
that the emperors ha,ve become the representatives of the 
State, the transition has become easy for the emperors to 
have themselves proclaimed as gods. Nero counts himself 
a god, and dares to place his own image among the statues 
of the gods.” 

“ What thinkest thou of this Nero?” 

“Hist, man! remember we are in a public place, where 
there are many eavesdroppers. The emperors hold their 
office by aid of delators^ or false accusers of their enemies, 
and no man’s neck is safe.” 

“Believest thou in the Roman faith?” 

“Verily; it were hard indeed to say in what the Roman 
faith consists,” replied Placidus. “The Roman religion 
consists not of articles of faith, but of ceremonies, which 
are little more than dead forms. The minds of the edu- 
cated have become atheistic or nihilistic. But though 
there is little faith in the gods, every important event is 


56 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


celebrated with religious services. No act of the State is 
performed without consulting numerous oracles, watching 
omens, scanning of the stars and winds, and noting the 
flying of a bird, or the falling of a stone. Eoman emperors 
build sanctuaries for Egypt’s Isis, and other gods, side by 
side with the Temples of Jupiter, Juno, and Vesta. Noble 
Eoman ladies walk in solemn processions, shaking the 
costly golden sistra, and clad in linen robes, with bare 
feet. As a sign of penitence, they spend nights of watch- 
ing in the Temples of Isis, hoping thereby to obtain the 
favor of the goddess. Even the sacred treasures of the 
Palladium, and the eternal fire, are borne into the recently 
erected temple of an obscure god, brought from some far- 
off place in the East ; for the Eomans have so lost faith in 
their old gods, that they worship each new deity with the 
hope that peradventure they may obtain the help for which 
they have sought heretofore in vain. Nero himself holds 
all religious rites in contempt, save those of the Syrian 
goddess, who is supposed to be Semiramis deified. But 
of late, Caesar has abandoned her worship for the image of 
an obscure little plebeian girl, whose effigy he received as 
an amulet against plots; and having immediately after 
discovered a conspiracy against himself, he now worships 
his imaginary protectress as the greatest among the gods, 
offering at her shrine three sacrifices daily.” 

“How many gods are there in Eome?” 

“There are gods for everything,” replied Placidus. 
“The goddess Lucina watches over the birth of a child, at 
which time candles are lighted in honor of the goddess 
Candelifera; Eumina attends to the nursing of the child; 
Nundina is invoked on the ninth day, when the babe is 
named; Potina and Educa look after its food and drink; 
Statina directs its first steps, and Abeona teaches it to walk. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


57 


Farinus whispers to it the first word it lisps, and Locutinus 
aids it to talk; Cunina wards off evils from the cradle. 
Forculus is the god of the door, Limentinus god of the 
threshold, and Cardea a goddess of hinges. Caeculus is 
the god for the blind, Orbana a goddess for the childless. 
Even the brothels and cook-shops and prisons have their 
gods. Epona, the goddess of horses, looks down from a 
niche in the rafter into the stable; Neptune guards the 
ships; Mercury is implored for successful bargains; and 
sacrifices are made to Ceres, goddess of the harvest, while a 
forest is never felled until prayer has been offered to the 
unknown gods, who, perchance, may inhabit it.’^ 

“Surely it requires a good memory to forget none of 
these myriad gods,’^ said Aziel. 

“By Jupiter himself, in troth it does! replied Placidus. 
‘‘The easiest way is to imagine a god everywhere, and in 
everything, and render homage to every tree beside the 
path, every shrub upon the hillside, and every object in 
the city. And then there are our gods of rank; for though 
Borne receives within her bounds the gods of every con- 
quered nation, and bids them welcome, she yet reserves 
the right of precedence for her own deities. But now 
Olympian and Boman gods are interchangeable; and Zeus 
and Jupiter, Here and Juno, are alike worshipped. The 
Boman bargains with his gods — so many prayers , so much 
reward. 

“We are taught to pray to Jehovah, irrespective of any 
reward,” rejoined Aziel, astonished by these revelations 
of Borne’s many religions; “for all men have sinned, and 
it is only of God’s great mercy that we may hope for 
blessing.” 

“My calling being that of war, not of religion,” said 
Placidus, “I have made no great study of the subject. I 


68 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


perceive that the Orientals degrade their deities to the 
level of nature; and that the Greeks idealize nature 
through their gods; and that the Eomans buy and sell 
their prayers and sacrifices, as they would barter for corn 
or gold. I verily think that the ISTazarene ye Jews put to 
death as an impostor, was more godlike than either 
Eoman, Grecian, or Oriental deities.’^ 

‘^And so think I, assented Aziel; “I believe Jehovah 
to be the One True, Almighty God, and that Jesus Christ 
was indeed His Divine Son.” 

“Thou art a Christian, then?” 

“In my belief I am a Christian, though I am not yet 
identified with that body of believers.” 

“Perad venture persecution, and wild beasts, and fiery 
illuminations of living torches have deterred thee from 
avowing thy faith?” 

“Nay, verily; it is not cowardice, but the command of 
my father, who is a strict Pharisee of the Pharisees, that 
has prevented me,” replied Aziel, with ardor. “Persecu- 
tions shall not make me flinch when I am free to declare 
my faith,” he continued, with reverent fervor. 

“Well, my friend, I do like thee much, Jew though 
thou art, and I a Eoman born; but I would give thee 
warning not to select Eonie as the place of thy Christian 
avowal, unless thou dost thirst much for a speedy trial of 
the pangs of persecution ; for Nero has given recent signs 
of novel inventions for the torture of those professing that 
faith. But to be frank with thee, I also have a leaning 
towards that faith, and shrink not to make public this fact; 
but wait, not from cowardice, for I am a Eoman soldier 
who knows no fear, and would welcome even death, if 
glory led that way; but I tarry in this avowal because I 
do not wholly know the truth. If thy Jehovah is indeed 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 59 

God, and if the hfazarene was in truth His Divine Son, 
peradventure some sign will be sent me to verify the 
fact.^ 

“Thou lookest for miracles without,^’ responded Aziel, 
“but the power of the Gospel is manifested within the 
soul.” 

“My father, who was the Centurion at the Cross,” re- 
joined Placidus, ‘‘declared the Crucified One to be the 
Son of God, and died believing in the ISTazarene; and I 
would fain lend the service of my arm in Christian war- 
fare, but it appears that these believers do not fight for 
their faith , but employ prayers instead of swords in defence 
of the truths taught by the Nazarene.” 

“If reports be true,” declared Aziel, “there is even 
now in this Eome, proud of its power, and ruled by tyrant 
emperors, a population unheeded, unreckoned, thought of 
but vaguely, and held in contempt as something of little 
strength ; and yet this seemingly invisible band is strong- 
hearted enough, nerved to suffer and to die, if needs be, 
and has resolution, numbers, and physical force sufficient 
to hurl their oppressors from the throne of the world ; but 
that they deem it their duty to ‘ kiss the rod, to love their 
enemies, to bless those who curse them, and to submit, for 
their Kedeemer’s sake, to the powers that be.^ ” 

“Perchance thou mayest be right,” ejaculated Placidus. 
“ I was in Home during that persecution of the Christians, 
less than two years ago ; and neither wild beasts , nor fiery 
flames, nor Koman swords, nor butchery which would 
make even a Eoman soldier shudder, inured as he is to 
scenes of bloodshed, could force these Christians to deny 
their faith. I asked then, if these should take the sword, 
what Eoman legion could withstand their bravery? I 
wondered then why they fought not for their lives; but, as 


60 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


thou sayest, the Nazarene forbade the sword and taught 
them love.” 

“Yea, verily, this wonderful power of love which the 
Nazarene imparts to his followers, is to me one of the 
great signs of His Divinity,” exclaimed Aziel. ‘‘What 
soldiers of Pompey, or of Caesar, would thus die for them, 
as the Christian calmly suffers martyrdom for Christ? 
What spirit of patriotism ever so held the bands of Koman 
legions, as this power of love unites these bands of Chris- 
tians? What other god ever ruled the minds and souls of 
men, as the Divine Christ rules the hearts of His disciples? 
This dominion of the soul is a vaster realm than the Eoman 
Empire, and will yet, methinks, extend over the known 
world, and countries yet undiscovered.” 

“But ye Jews already worshipped the Father of this 
Divine Son as Jehovah; how did thy nation come to 
reject the Nazarene, if He be in truth the Son of that 
same Jehovah?” 

“It was because of the blindness of my people,” affirmed 
Aziel ; “ because they did not rightly interpret the prophe- 
cies of the coming Messiah, foretold in the Law and the 
Prophets. They looked for an earthly King, who should 
deliver them from the Eoman yoke, and perceived not that 
the Kingdom of the Christ was to be a spiritual kingdom 
in the souls of men. My people,” he continued, “though 
blessed with the knowledge that Jehovah, the Almighty 
and Perfect God, who changeth not, is the King of all 
the earth. Creator of the universe, and Lord of all, had, 
nevertheless, through disregard of the eternal attributes of 
their God, sunk into depths of unrighteousness. They 
had grievously rebelled against His rule of truth and 
justice; and while thus living in a state of antagonism to 
the Divine Will, heartlessly and superstitiously worship- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


61 


ping* the God of their fathers, how could they recognize 
their Messiah, or form any higher conception than that 
their expected King would be a man of sovereign will and 
imperious passions like their own, endowed with almighty 
power to crush out all other nations of the earth? And 
when Jesus of Kazareth came, meek and lowly of heart, 
going about doing good among the poor, receiving the very 
outcasts of misery, and denouncing none but the self- 
righteous Pharisees, it were little wonder that such a 
people as the Jews had become, failed to recognize their 
promised Messiah.^^ 

‘‘I would be pleased to learn more of this matter,” said 
Placidus, ^^but the hour of noon draws nigh, and I have 
business in the Forum before that hour; for in Home all 
matters pertaining to trade, commerce, or politics, cease at 
mid-day, and often business transacted after the shadow 
of the sun-dial denotes the passing of the sun beyond the 
meridian, has been held as illegal in the Roman courts.” 

Whereupon Aziel and Placidus, who had been standing 
for a time upon the Via Sacra, gazing upon the splendid 
scene spread out before them, resumed their walk towards 
the Forum. Many people had passed and repassed, as 
they lingered, but in their earnest talk they had noted 
them not. Kow a Roman soldier, approaching Placidus, 
exclaimed, — 

“ Hail, Placidus ! Dost thou keep company with the dog 
of a Jew? Methinks thy stay in Palestine has vitiated 
thy Roman manners.” 

Upon hearing himself called a dog, Aziel had at first 
evinced his ire by flushed cheeks and angry eyes; but 
quickly remembering that, were the place Jerusalem, his 
countrymen would have probably asked why he kept com- 
pany with a dog of a Roman, he turned to Placidus, who 


62 


THE DOOM OP THE HOLY CITY. 


had not deigned to reply to the rude greeting of his 
acquaintance, and asked him concerning the temple which 
stood upon the left of the way. 

^‘That is the Temple of Castor, of which I spoke to thee 
when we passed the Temple of Mars, without the gate. 
Just beyond is the Basilica Julia, begun by Julius Caesar. 
You see there, at the corner of this Basilica, the Arch of 
Tiberius, erected a. d. 16, in commemoration of the re- 
covery by Germanicus of the military ensigns lost by 
Varus. The arch spans the Vicus Jugarius, leading into 
the Sacra Via and the Forum at this spot. This part of 
the Forum is now set apart by the demagogues for their 
harangues, and you perceive the crowd already gathering 
round yonder rostrum. Some young orator is about to try 
his powers.’^ 

believe ye make much of oratory in Kome, is it 
not so?’^ 

“Yea, much of oratory, not always so much of choice of 
theme,” replied Placidus; for, being a soldier, he rather 
treated with contempt the persuasion of words, instead 
of swords. “Behold yonder stripling!” he continued; 
“indeed he has learned his lesson well at the schools of 
the Bhetoricians, though it is evident that but a few years 
have passed since he laid aside his toga prcetexta for the 
toga virilis of manhood. It matters not whether the debate 
were only moonshine ; there are rules for an arrangement 
of the hair, management of the voice and gestures, while 
the locks must be carefully coifed. Minute directions are 
given for the use of the handkerchief ; the steps which the 
orator shall take to the right or the left are numbered; he 
must rest so many moments on each foot alternately; he 
must advance one so many inches before the other; his 
elbow must not be raised above a certain angle; his hngers 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


63 


may be ornamented with rings, but they must not be too 
many, nor too large; and in elevating his hand to exhibit 
his jewels, he must take care not to disarrange his head- 
dress. Every emotion has its appropriate gesture; in short, 
these young orators care little what they say, but lay great 
stress on how they say it ; and do, forsooth, prate mere 
folly with so sonorous a voice and impassioned manner, 
that the crowds, overawed by their grandiloquence, listen 
to their bombastic harangues, and deem them weighty 
wisdom. And perchance a mere stripling, be it so that 
his declamation has been well schooled, may be able to 
sway the verdict of the crowd against the pleading of some 
aged and learned man, who has not his tricks of voice and 
manner.” 

‘‘Justice is, then, ill-administered at Eome?” 

“ Our laws are well enough ; indeed, the Romans excel in 
making laws, — laws so admirable that they shall, forsooth, 
be models for the coming nations; but when it comes to 
justice — well, under Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero, the 
people have ceased to look for justice.” 

Of all the public places in the Imperial City, the Roman 
Forum was alone designed with any approach to regular- 
ity. The open space within the Forum was three hundred 
yards in length, the width varying from fifty to one hun- 
dred yards. This area was enclosed by smoothly paved 
roads especially intended for processions. Magnificent 
temples and public edifices adorned the outer edge of these 
roads as they approached the bases of the surrounding 
hills. The Forum lay at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, 
upon which the famous Temple of Jupiter was erected. 
On the opposite height the Temple of Julius stood. The 
Sacra Via, descending from the Velia, under the Arch of 
Fabius, skirted the Forum on the right, and was bordered 


64 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


by imposing buildings and statues, among which were 
the Temple of the Penates, the Temples of Eomulus and 
Eemus, and the hall of Paullus ^milius. The Shrine of 
Vesta, where the sacred tire was kept ever burning, and 
the Temple of the twin gods. Castor and Pollux, with the 
Basilica of Julius Caesar, stood upon the left. This Sacra 
Via, passing before the Temples of Concord and Saturn, 
ascended by a gradual slope to the Capitol, the road being 
ornamented with lines of stately columns surmounted by 
statues of gods and emperors. 

The Temple of Concord was founded by Camillus, in 
memory of the peace made between the Senate and the 
Commons, when the office of Consul was opened to the 
plebeian order. In the Temple of Saturn were deposited 
the state treasures under the guardianship of the god 
Saturnus, — a deity revered as a more just god than even 
Jupiter. The one portion of the Forum more elevated 
than the other, and called the Comitium, was originally 
the place of honor assigned to the Populus as distin- 
guished from the Plebs. But the Comitium soon lost its 
political significance, and though the senators transacted 
their affairs in halls and temples, the mighty multitude of 
the Eoman people occupied the entire space included in 
the Forum, between the Sacra Via and the Via Nova, and 
crowded, without distinction of place, around the orator in 
the “Political pulpit.” 

As Aziel and Placidus drew nearer the Eostrum, Placidus 
remarked, — 

“It was in this spot that the head of Cicero was brought 
to Antony, while seated in the Forum, administering 
justice. By the command of Antony, the head of Cicero 
was nailed to this Eostrum, and left to moulder there. 
These Eoman rulers like not those who speak too plainly. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


65 


Tiberius banished Ovid to Tomi; and only last year Nero 
forced his former tutor, the learned and aged Seneca, to 
kill himself. Such is the justice meted out by the Caesars ! 
But my business takes me to the quarters of the Praetorian 
Guard, on the Palatine,” continued Placidus. ‘^As the 
Emperor is Praetor, or commander-in-chief of all the troops, 
the Praetorium is connected with the palace of the Caesars. 
Meet me there after the mid-day siesta, and I will show 
you Nero’s famous Golden House. Though but two years 
ago occurred that terrible conflagration, so rapid has been 
the work of rebuilding, that nearly all the quarters of 
Home demolished by the fire have arisen in new glory, 
and such temples as were injured have been reconstructed 
according to the original plans, so that the new appear as 
the old. In two years more no trace of the fire will be 
shown. Nero has a passion for building, and his demands 
for money to reconstruct Eome, which rumor says he 
intends to call Neropolis, are unceasing.” 

“How is he regarded by the Homans?” 

“With a general odium, for his brutal murders, and for 
his atrocious orgies, which even in immoral Eome make 
the citizens blush for very shame, and for his exorbitant 
extravagance, which is impoverishing the Empire. His 
avarice and cruelty, luxury, lewdness, and vanity, have 
exceeded all bounds, and he is even now execrated as the 
Monster of the World. He has no ambition to extend the 
frontiers of the Empire. Only twice has he planned a 
foreign expedition, — one to Alexandria, abandoned on the 
eve of starting, being deterred by supposed evil omens, and 
he now proposes a journey to Greece, the avowed object 
of this expedition into Achaia being mainly to exhibit his 
boasted musical powers , and to take part in the Olympic 
games; for he prides himself more on the prizes which are 


5 


66 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


perforce adjudged to him, than his position as Emperor 
of Eome. Indeed, he will himself perform in the royal 
theatre this very afternoon. If so be thou dost meet me 
in time, we may behold him on the stage, of which he is 
so fond that he guards carefully his much-prized voice, 
lest it be injured, and has always at his side a ^voice- 
master,’ to warn him if he speaks too much or too boister- 
ously, that he strain not his delicate vocal organs. When 
he thinks fit to appear in our midst, he never addresses the 
soldiers himself, but his messages to us are delivered for 
him. Verily, the Eoman soldiers, remembering the wars 
of Pompey and of Julius Caesar, despise an emperor who 
aims only to be thought a play-actor and a tragic singer.” 

^^As I have business in the Ghetto of the Jews, I will 
depart thither, and rejoin thee at the time appointed,” 
replied Aziel, taking leave of the kindly Eoman soldier, 
who added in parting, — 

‘‘It were better that thou shouldst leave that purple 
mantle of thine in the Ghetto, for Nero has forbidden the 
use of the colors of amethyst and Tyrian purple, which he 
reserves for himself alone. And but the other day, when 
singing in the theatre, and observing a lady dressed in the 
prohibited color, he pointed her out to his procurators. 
She was dragged from her seat, stripped of her robes, and 
afterwards deprived of her property.” 

“I thank thee for thy warning,” responded Aziel, “ and 
while in Eome, will wear robes of other tints.” 

“Forsooth, I would like thee in the red mantle of the 
warrior, and think the golden helmet and this golden 
armor would suit well with thy golden locks; though, in 
that case, they must be sacrificed as well as the purple 
mantle, for the Eomans wear not thy woman’s hair ; but 
I must allow it well becomes thee. The Jews have not 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


67 


often eyes of blue and locks of gold, but rather, swarthy 
skin, coarser hair, and black in color. 

“As a Christian, I may not wear the red mantle of war,” 
rejoined Aziel; “though, as affairs threaten in Jerusalem, 
I may be called thither to bear arms. The Jewish nation 
has been valiant in past times in warfare, and the armies 
of Jehovah have conquered many heathen nations. But 
the Gospel teacheth peace, not war; and the Nazarene 
proclaimed love, and not the sword.” 

Here the young men parted, Aziel for the Ghetto, and 
Placidus, the soldier, for the Praetorian camp upon the 
Palatine. 


68 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER V. 

THE GHETTO. — THE PALATINE PALACES OF THE CiESAKS. 

— NERO’s GOLDEN HOUSE. NERO IN THE THEATRE 

POMPEIUS. 

The Ghetto, or Vicus Judaeorum, as it was first called, 
stood on the east bank of the Tiber, and was afterwards 
enclosed in walls, reaching from the Ponte Quattro Capi 
to the Piazza del Pianto, or Place of Weeping.^’ Ghetto, 
derived from the Hebrew word Chat^ signified broken, 
destroyed, shaven, cut down, cast off, abandoned. The 
first Jewish slaves were brought to Rome by Pompey the 
Great, after his conquest of Jerusalem. He had indeed 
profaned the Temple by entering into the Holy of Holies, 
yet had respect for the sacred articles he found there, and 
commanded that the Temple be purified after this desecra- 
tion, and the Temple service be restored. The treasures 
of the Temple were not plundered by Pompey, but after- 
wards by Crassus. 

Since that time many of the Jews had lived in wealth 
at Rome, and their princes, Herod and Agrippa, had been 
received with kindness by the Roman emperors, and treated 
with royal distinction in the Palace of the Caesars. 

In imperial times, though the chief Jewish settlement 
in Rome was in the Ghetto, the Jews were not forced to 
confine themselves to that site, and there was a Jewish 
colony in the patrician quarters of the Trastevere, where, 
according to tradition. Saint Peter dwelt with Aquila and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 69 

Priscilla, on the slopes of the Aventine, during part of his 
stay in Home. 

Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Tiberius treated the Jews 
with kindness ; but Caligula, being incensed because they 
would not yield to him divine honors, and had successfully 
resisted an attempt to place his statue in the Holy of 
Holies, in the Temple at Jerusalem, treated them with 
harshness. Heroes wrath seemed not so much kindled 
against the Jews as against the Christians. 

Opposite to the gate of the Ghetto , near the Ponte Quat- 
tro Capi, a converted Jew afterwards erected a Christian 
church, with a painting of the crucifixion on its outside 
wall, upon which every Jew must look as he came out of 
the Ghetto; and underneath the painting was an inscrip- 
tion in Hebrew and Latin, — 

All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and 
gainsaying people.’* 

Aziel, having entered the Ghetto, walked down the 
Fiumara, the street lying lowest, and nearest the Tiber, 
and thence past a street corner called Argumille, meaning 
unleavened bread. Here he was accosted by a Jewish 
shop-keeper, the owner of one of the many little shops in 
the Ghetto, devoted to the odds and ends of all the known 
articles of merchandise. Everything known to those 
times could be purchased in the Ghetto, — precious stones, 
furniture of every description, rich embroideries from the 
Orient, striped stuffs from Spain, furs from the Baltic, 
tapestries from Persia, gold fringes, scraps of Eastern 
silks, — red, blue, orange, yellow, black, white, scarlet, 
and purple bits and patches; in short, all the varied rub- 
bish of the world. From this mass of incongruous heaps 
might be brought, peradventure, a gem of priceless value, 


70 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


some fabric of costly tapestry, or marvellous scrap of 
golden tissue; and one could learn from the voluble seller 
the history of every fashion from the time of Solomon, 
and perchance procure a bit of attire which had really 
adorned the persons of Eomulus, Scipio Africanus, Han- 
nibal, Augustus, Pericles, or Cleopatra. 

But as Aziel cared naught for such things, he passed 
hurriedly through this quarter of the Ghetto to the house 
of one of the wealthy Eoman Jews. We will not now fol- 
low him, as our present interest lies in other parts of Kome. 

The mid-day siesta was over, and the Roman citizens 
now came forth, not for business, but for pleasure. The 
discontent occasioned by Nero’s brutality and monstrous 
iniquities was every day growing more intense; as yet it 
was as an undertone rapidly swelling. 

In Nero’s youth even the learned Seneca had deigned to 
flatter him extravagantly ; and upon the death of Claudius, 
and the accession of Nero to the throne, even the grave 
Seneca had sung thus gayly of his former pupil. After a 
scornful satire upon the dead Claudius, that his eulogy of 
Nero might be all the greater, Seneca declared: — 

At last, the life-thread of the stolid Claudius had been 
severed by the fatal shears ; but Lachesis, at that moment, 
had taken in her hands another skein of dazzling white- 
ness, and as it glided nimbly through her fingers, the com- 
mon wool of life was changed into a precious tissue, — 
a golden age untwined from the spindle. The Sisters ply 
their work in gladness, and glory in their blessed task; 
and far, far away stretches the glittering thread, beyond 
the years of Nestor and Tithonus. Phoebus stands by 
their side, and sings to them as they spin, — Phoebus, the 
god of song and the god of prophecy : ‘ Stay not, oh, stay 
not, gentle sisters! he shall transcend the limits of human 
life; he shall be like me in face, like me in beauty; 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


71 


neither in song nor in eloquence behind me. He shall 
restore a blissful age to wearied men, and break again the 
long silence of the Laws. Yea, as, when Lucifer drives 
the stars before him, and morning dissipates the clouds, 
the bright sun gazes on the world, and starts his chariot 
on its daily race, so Caesar breaks upon the earth; such 
is the Nero whom Eome now beholds; beams his bright 
countenance with tempered rays, and glistens his fair 
neck beneath its floating curls.’’’ 

Such was Seneca’s flattering prophecy of Nero; and 
what was the Nero now Emperor of Rome? So monstrous 
his crimes, so numerous his brutal murders, so infamous his 
orgies, that his historians cannot pass them in silence, nor 
stoop to describe them. He spared neither the people of 
Rome nor the capital of his country. When some one, 
conversing with him, remarked, - - 

“When I am dead, let fire devour the world! ” 

“Nay,” Nero replied, “let it be while I am living! ” 

And while Rome blazed, and the lurid flames swept 
onward, and the midnight sky reflected the light of the 
myriad tongues of fire, Nero gloated upon the scene, 
viewed from the tower of his palace, “being greatly 
delighted,” as he said, “with the beautiful effects of the 
conflagration ; ” and, attired in the tragic dress he wore 
upon the stage, he sang, to the music of his lyre, a poem 
composed by himself upon the ruin of Troy. 

Upon the ruins of Rome rose the famous Golden House 
of Nero. The palaces of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, 
and Claudius were not entirely destroyed by this conflagra- 
tion, and Nero restored the injured portions, and connected 
them by the gorgeous porticos, gardens, and groves of his 
Golden House. “Now I have a dwelling fit for a man!” 
he exclaimed, when this magnificent palace was dedicated. 
Lakes, groves, and gardens adorned the slopes of the 


72 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


hills surrounding this gorgeous Golden House. Gilded 
boats glided over the smooth waters which reflected 
the fleecy clouds above, while picturesque edifices dotting 
the banks were mirrored in the placid lakes. A triple 
colonnade enclosed an area in front of the palace, where 
stood a statue of gold and silver bronze, one hundred and 
twenty feet high, representing Nero as Apollo, while 
within the Golden House the walls were ornamented with 
artistic frescos, or inlaid with gold, mother of pearl, and 
precious stones. The floors were formed of the costliest 
of mosaics, and the ceilings covered with plates of ivory, 
from between which perfumes and roses were showered 
upon the guests. In the large banqueting-hall the ceiling 
in the rotunda, adorned with representations of the sun, 
moon, and stars, moved night and day at an equal pace 
with the vault of heaven. So great was the area covered 
by the Golden House, that Pliny declared that the city 
was encompassed by the Palace of Nero;” and a pas- 
quinade of the day was as follows: — 

^‘Eome will be reduced to a single house; migrate, 0 
Komans, to Veii, like your ancestors before you — if Veii 
indeed itself be not also embraced by that single house.” 

Aziel had now left the Ghetto, and was on the way to 
keep his engagement with Placidus on the Palatine. Cross- 
ing the Tiber by the bridge Pons ^milius, he passed 
through the Velabrum and onward to the southwestern 
slope of the Palatine, near which rose the famous Temple 
of ‘^Cybele, the Mother of the Gods,” rebuilt by Augustus, 
A. D. 2. 

He did not pause at this point, but when he came to 
the splendid Temple of Apollo, he tarried a while to ad- 
mire its graceful proportions and construction ; yet to a Jew 
of Jerusalem, no temple could for a moment be compared 
with the magnificent sanctuary on Mount Moriah. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


73 


This temple, before which Aziel now liogered in silent 
admiration, was a stately structure of white marble. The 
columns of the portico were of African marble, the rare 
and costly yellow giallo-antico, while the cornice of the 
portico was gilded. The columns were fifty-two in num- 
ber, and between them were the fifty Danaids, and the 
statue of their father, brandishing a naked sword. Aziel 
looked with wonder upon an imposing statue of Apollo 
sounding his lyre. The statue was in truth a likeness of 
Augustus himself, whose great youthful beauty might, in 
the eyes of the Homans, entitle him to counterfeit a god. 

Around the altar were the images of four oxen, the work 
of the famous Myron, and so beautiful and so real, that 
they seemed almost to live and breathe. The temple rose 
from the middle of the graceful portico of yellow marble, 
like a sculptured hill of snow. Over the pediment was 
the chariot of the sun. The gates were of ivory, marvel- 
lously carved, one of them representing the story of the 
Gauls being hurled down from the heights of Parnassus, 
the other the destruction of the Niobids. Passing within, 
Aziel saw a statue of Apollo, attired in a tunica talaris, 
standing between the statues of his mother Latona and 
his sister Diana. 

Here Aziel was joined by Placidus. 

These Homan images seem most strange to a Jew,” said 
Aziel. 

^‘And thou mayest, forsooth, conjecture how strange 
Jerusalem appears to a Homan, with no images to be 
found within its borders,” replied Placidus. 

‘‘Ye Homans also consult oracles and sibyls, do ye not ?” 

“Yea; the Homan ever seeks for good omens; and here, 
under the base of this- statue of Apollo, Augustus caused 
to be buried certain Sibylline books which he had selected 


74 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


and placed in gilt chests. Vesta and Apollo were the 
favorite gods of Augustus.” 

Attached to this temple was a famous library. Only the 
choicest works in Greek and Latin were allowed a place here. 
Placidus conducted Aziel thither, where he beheld another 
bronze statue of Apollo, fifty feet in height, so lofty was 
the dome of this apartment. Here were already gathered 
several young poets, orators, and Koman philosophers. 

As Placidus and Aziel entered, a group was standing 
about one of the Eoman orators, who was entertaining 
them with the latest bits of city news. The speaker was 
Petronius, a Koman noble. He had formerly governed 
Bithynia, and subsequently held the office of consul, and 
had shown great activity and vigilance in the discharge 
of the duties of his office. But now, released from public 
cares, he gave himself up to a life of luxury and ease, 
spending the greater portion of his days in slumber, and 
his nights in dissipation. He was reputed a model by 
aspiring Koman youths, and his every word and act were 
repeated with evident admiration by all those who would 
fawn and flatter Hero’s tastes, and, to borrow a term from 
Petronius himself, the curious felicity ” of his deeds and 
sayings was admitted by the would-be courtiers ; and 
thus he received the title of Arbiter of the Imperial 
Pleasures.” 

‘^What is the news in the Golden House, Petronius?” 
asked a Koman youth, who wore the golden helmet, and 
the armor of a soldier above his short white tunic bordered 
with red. I have but just returned to Kome from Syria, 
on a mission from Cestius, governor of that province.” 

‘^Ah, Caesar amuses himself as usual,” replied Petronius. 

One day we must perforce applaud his singing and cithera- 
playing in the theatre ; the next, watch his chariot-driving 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


75 


at the Circus Maximus; or, perchance, listen to his tragic 
muse, as he sings in the mask of a god or a hero. Some- 
times he gives us ‘ Hercules Mad, ^ and were he a little 
more a Hercules in stature and appearance, it might not 
be so far out of the way; for the madness seems not so 
much assumed as real.” 

“Yea, in truth!” exclaimed a bystander; “with his 
small stature, foul and spotted skin, thick neck, thin legs, 
prominent corporosity, yellow hair, and gray, dull eyes, 
he looks not very like a Hercules, in spite of a heroes 
mask and stage attire.” 

“ Thou art not far wrong there,” rejoined a Eoman noble, 
“but we must be wary; though Hero resents not scurrilous 
language, and allows lampoons to be posted in the city, 
yet one never knows at what he may at length take offence. 
It is indeed rumored, Petronius, that thy rival, Tigellinus, 
being craftier than thou, is planning thy downfall.” 

“ Perchance it may prove to be the turn of Tigellinus to 
fall,” responded Petronius, with unconcern. 

“Well, Placidus,” said Petronius, as the soldier joined 
the group, “didst thou see anything in Jerusalem as amus- 
ing as Hero’s pastimes ? After rivalling Apollo in song, 
and Phoebus in charioteering, he now aspires to display, 
forsooth, the courage and strength of Hercules ; and with 
great parade of heroic bravery, he gloriously strangles in 
his arms a young lion, duly prepared by drugs and over- 
feeding, to restrain the natural proclivities of the beast, 
and lie in harmless stupor, while gallant Caesar, before the 
eyes of applauding Kome, with his mighty arm uplifted, 
bearing a formidable club, doth perform the dauntless feat 
of braining the stupid beast, and thereby covering himself 
with immortal glory.” 

“It must indeed have been a goodly sight for Koman 


76 


THE DOOM OP THE HOLY CITY. 


soldiers,” quoth Placidus, with scornful looks, while Aziel 
listened with amazement to such a recital of great Caesar’s 
prowess. 

“And more,” continued Petronius; ‘Hhis mighty IN'ero 
would fain become a woman, and so he attires his manly 
limbs in the finery of a maiden, and assumes her voice and 
gestures; and not content with this imposing spectacle, 
he puts on a wedding-dress and veil, and goes through the 
form of marriage, with one of his male associates as the 
groom, while he personates the blushing bride. The 
affairs of State are left to crafty Tigellinus, while Caesar’s 
chief concern is sparing his melodious voice from too great 
strain, lest his warblings in the theatre might be less 
impressive.” 

His warnings! There thou speakest with satire, per- 
adventure,” ejaculated a young poet. “Verily, my stars 
of destiny are propitious, that Caesar takes not a fancy to 
warble my verses, instead of his own tragedies, lest were I 
truly made immortal among the singers of Greece, by such 
marvellous condescension in so gifted a royal singer.” 

“Thy head would pay the penalty of such sarcasm,” 
cried Placidus, “did Nero not think it were good policy to 
ignore all criticism uttered in puns,' and jests, and satires, 
having enough to be wary of in plots and conspiracies. 
And it is well for thee also that thou confinest thy wit to 
satires, and dost not seek to plot, else would thy fate 
resemble that of Lucan the poet, who, with the learned 
Seneca, his uncle, was driven by Nero to suicide.” 

“Ah, list! ” cried Petronius. ^‘By the uproar I wot ’tis 
Cassar now going to the theatre, attended by his fawning 
followers.” 

“ Kumor hath it that thou thyself art in close intimacy 
with Nero, Petronius.” 


THE DOOM OP THE HOLY CITY. 


77 


“Eumor hath many arrows, and sometimes rnmor hits the 
mark,” laughed Petronius, hastening into the Via Appia, 
followed by the others, to join in the procession now bound 
for the Forum. 

Placidus and Aziel turned their steps in the same direc- 
tion, for Aziel was curious to behold great Caesar, and 
Placidus, though scornful of such follies, must needs follow 
a Homan crowd. 

Nero was nothing loath to show himself to the Koman 
populace. He often supped in public, in the Naumachia, 
with the sluices shut, or in the Campus Martius, or in the 
Circus Maximus, being waited on at table by a disreputable 
crowd of women. It was often his custom to invite him- 
self to dine with friends, a.t which time one of his enter- 
tainers spent four millions of sesterces in chaplets, and 
another, something more in roses to adorn the feast. 

On one occasion a table was spread for the Emperor and 
his guests on a raft in the large basin of the Thermae 
Agrippae, and numerous vessels, decked with gold, silver, 
and ivory, floated also in the huge basin of this famous 
bath, containing the rich viands for a sumptuous repast. 
The colonnades which encircled the water were filled with 
spectators, invited to an ostentatious and vulgar display of 
wealth and power. 

Now, as Nero is borne in his royal litter, surrounded by 
his fawning but trembling slaves, and hired flatterers, the 
rabble greet him with seeming delight, which the impious 
monster, with an insane vanity, receives with smiles, as 
one deserving the homage of his people. 

“Where is the Emperor to be escorted this afternoon?” 
asked Aziel of Placidus, as they joined the crowd lining 
the road, and which thus far had concealed from AziePs 
sight a view of the Emperor. 


78 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


^‘Nero seeks to give a grand spectacle to the Roman 
people in honor of Tiridates, King of Armenia, who comes 
to Rome to be crowned by the Emperor.’’ 

Aziel and Placidus followed the multitudes to the Forum, 
and there Aziel beheld Kero, the Infamous, seated on a 
curule chair on the Rostrum, clothed in a triumphal dress, 
amidst the military standards and ensigns of several 
cohorts drawn up under arms about the temples in the 
Forum. 

Tiridates advanced towards Nero, on a shelving stage, 
and prostrated himself at the feet of Caesar, who thereupon 
raised him with his right hand, and kissed him. Then the 
Emperor took the turban from the head of the king and 
replaced it with a crown, whilst a praetor proclaimed in 
Latin the words in which the prince addressed the Emperor 
as a suppliant. After this ceremony the king was con- 
ducted to the Theatre Pompeius, where Nero placed him 
on his right hand. The Emperor was then greeted with 
universal acclamation, and sending his laurel crown to the 
Capitol, he ordered the two-faced temple of Janus to be 
shut, as though he had thus secured universal peace 
throughout the Empire. 

Nero had in one day covered this Theatre of Pompeius 
with gilding, that he might exhibit it to his royal visitor, 
Tiridates. It was in the portico of a hundred columns, 
attached to this theatre, that Brutus sat as praetor on the 
morning of the murder of Julius Caesar; and close by was 
the Senate House, where great Caesar fell at the base of 
the pillar on which stood Pompey’s statue. 

‘‘So that is Caesar! ” said Aziel to Placidus, as they left 
the theatre at the end of this imposing ceremony. 

“Yea, verily, that is Caesar, nohle Ccesar ! who makes 
the world tremble; equips his actors with masks or wands 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


79 


covered with genuine and costly pearls ; stakes four hun- 
dred thousand sesterces on a single cast of the dice ; bathes 
in perfumes; expects his friends to spend four millions 
on the flowers for a supper in his honor; never travels 
with less than a thousand carriages in his train; who, 
when he shaved his precious beard for the first time, put 
the royal hairs in a casket of gold studded with pearls of 
great price, and consecrated it to Jupiter Capitolinus; 
Nero, who invites the Vestal Virgins to see the wrestlers 
perform, because at Olympia the priestesses of Ceres are 
allowed to witness that exhibition, while in his Juvenal 
and Circensian games, thousands of articles are daily 
thrown among the people, that this mighty Caesar may 
be amused to see them scramble for them , — fowls, clothes, 
gold and silver, gems, pearls, pictures, slaves, beasts of 
burden, tamed wild animals, and at last, ships, houses, and 
lands were offc'ered as prizes in a lottery.” 

“Such is your Nero?” 

“Yea, more! When mighty Nero himself condescends 
to perform at the theatre, five thousand youths, who have 
been taught various methods of applause, called Bombi, 
Imbrices^ and Testce, are stationed in places in the theatres 
to give him proper applause. These youths are remarkable 
for their fine heads of hair, and they are richly dressed, 
with rings on their hands, their leaders receiving as pay 
for their hire forty thousand sesterces. This Nero has 
given to his courtiers and freedmen, in the space of the 
twelve years of his reign, twenty-two hundred millions of 
sesterces, and rumor has it that he spends eight hundred 
thousand sesterces a day in entertaining his royal guest, 
Tiridates. And this Caesar burns Christians for torches, to 
illumine his chariot-races; fires Home, that he may gor- 
geously illustrate his own tragedy on the Fall of Troy; 


80 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


builds a palace which encircles the city of Home ; murders 
all his kindred for pastime, then shrieks in his dreams 
for fear of their ghosts; turns the Imperial City into a 
brothel; is one day an actor, next, a musician, then a 
prize charioteer; and wears with condescension the empty 
title of Emperor of the World. Such is this Cmsar, this 
Nero, Monster of Vanity and Crime ! 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


81 


CHAPTEE VI. 

THE ROMAN GAMES. — THE PANTHEON. THE CAMPUS 

MARTIUS. THE MAMERTINE PRISON. 

Life in Eome, at the time of our story, cannot be shown 
without a more detailed description of the games and amuse- 
ments of the Imperial City. 

The ingenious Tribune Curio was the first to construct 
the double hemicycle, — an immense wooden structure, 
with a mechanical ^contrivance, by which two theatres, 
after the usual performances of dramatic representations, 
could be wheeled front to front, and combined into a single 
amphitheatre for gladiatorial shows. “There can be no 
doubt that this extraordinary edifice was adapted to con- 
tain many thousands of spectators, and there are few, 
perhaps, even of our own engineers, who build tubular 
bridges and suspend acres of iron network over our 
heads, who would not shrink from the problem of moving 
the population of a great city on a single pair of pivots.” 

Statilius Taurus, the legate of Augustus, was the first 
to construct an amphitheatre in stone, which was erected 
in the Campus Martius. It was not until the reigns of 
Vespasian and Titus, when the magnificent Coliseum was 
upreared, that a spacious amphitheatre was built in the 
centre of the city. 

There were, however, many circuses and theatres within 
the city limits. The dramatic representations of the 
Eomans were mostly conducted in pantomime, two of the 
famous actors in the time of Augustus being Bathyllus 

6 


82 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


and Py lades ; and the rivalry of these two favorites of the 
people waxed so hot, that at last the contention occasioned 
the interference of the Emperor. And when Augustus 
suggested to the partisans of one of the factions that the 
tranquillity of the city was imperilled by these uproars, he 
was answered, — 

‘‘It is better that the citizens should quarrel about a 
Py lades and a Bathyllus, than about a Pompeius and a 
Caesar.’^ 

The entire religious cultus of Eome and Greece had a the- 
atrical tendency. The Greeks of the first century, as well 
as the Eomans, would have found no pleasure in such cre- 
ations of genius as the “(Edipus” and “Antigone.” “The 
tall figures in the cothurn and the mask, with solemn step 
and solemn speech, had disappeared from the stage. Buf- 
foonery and pantomime became popular. The Attellana^ 
a sort of Punchinello comedy with grotesque drollery and 
coarse jokes; the Mimus, a loosely connected representa- 
tion of characters in common life, with jesters and much 
stage art, rich decorations and astonishing scene-shiftings, 
were now the favorite amusements. The lofty deeds of 
heroes were no longer held up for imitation. Virtue was 
made a mock of, and the gods scoffed at; everything sacred 
and worthy of veneration was dragged in the mire.” 

“Bread and games!” was the demand of the Eoman 
people; and emperors catered to the lowest tastes and 
depraved natures, in order to sit undisturbed upon the 
throne. The emperors, good and bad, without distinction, 
expended vast sums upon the amusements of the populace, 
thinking thereby to secure a longer safety. 

In the time of Augustus, games were continued for 
sixty-six days, and Titus gave the people, at the dedica- 
tion of the Coliseum, a festival which lasted a hundred 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


83 


days. Often they were feasted at the games, and servants 
of the Emperor carried amongst the crowds baskets of 
fruits, nuts, and vessels of wine, while roasted fowls and 
pheasants were thrown in their midst to be scrambled for. 

The greatest enthusiasm was manifested for the chariot 
races in the circus. Green, blue, red, and white were the 
colors worn by horses and drivers. ^‘Does the green 
lose?” says Juvenal; ^^then is Eome struck aghast, as 
after the defeat at Cannae.” Whether a Nero governed 
the Empire, or a Marcus Aurelius,” writes one who has 
vividly represented Eoman life; ‘^whether the Empire 
was at peace or aflame with civil war, or the barbarians 
stormed at the frontiers, in Eome the question of chief 
moment for freemen and slaves, for senators , knights, and 
people, for men and women, was, whether the blue would 
win or the green.” 

Eeligious services introduced the sports. A great pro- 
cession moved from the Capitol to the sound of trumpets 
and flutes, led by the magistrate whose bounty provided the 
games, the donor standing on a chariot as a triumphator, 
followed by images of the gods and emperors, borne on 
gorgeously covered litters, accompanied by bands of priests 
arrayed in their sacerdotal robes. This whole pompa 
diaholij as it was termed by Tertullian, entered the Circus 
through the chief gate, and moved with stately step over 
the course; while the people, carried away by their enthu- 
siasm, rose to their feet, waving flags and handkerchiefs, 
and giving loud applause. 

All eyes were fixed with breathless suspense upon the 
prsetor, who, from his balcony, should flutter the white 
cloth to signal that the race was to begin. “Misit! 
Misit!” (He has thrown it!) they cry, and the rope is 
removed from across the track, and the chariots sweep 


84 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


into line, while, as this or that faction gains a temporary 
advantage, the shouts of delighted partisans ring in the 
air, and the drivers are cheered with applause, or greeted 
with curses, as their prospects of success waver; and they 
lash their horses till the clashing chariots often dash 
against the turning-post, and horses and drivers roll upon 
the ground in confused heaps, as the excitement grows 
more wild, and the frenzy reaches its highest pitch as the 
victor arrives at the goal, and is greeted with thunders of 
rapturous applause. 

Then the air is filled with flying ribbons, garlands, and 
favors, thrown by the friends of the triumphant faction, 
as the victor bows before the seat of the Emperor, and 
receives the prize, — a purse filled with gold, and the 
palm-branch of victory; then, amidst the loud shouts of 
the admiring populace, he passes slowly along the course 
to the “Porta Triumphalis,’’ and retires a hero, in the 
estimation of admiring hosts. 

Through the circuses passed also the triumphal proces- 
sions of victorious generals, to whom Eome had decreed a 
Triumph. Horses and chariots, wild animals from the 
conquered provinces, the spoils of captured cities, with 
bands of chained captives, elephants, and camels gor- 
geously caparisoned, bearing personages of note, or heaps 
of priceless tapestries, or platforms representing by paint- 
ing or sculpture the details of the siege or battles, pass 
before the eyes of the delighted people. 

In the amphitheatres other kinds of spectacles were fur- 
nished. In those too spacious to be entirely covered with 
awnings, fountains of perfumed water threw their d^eau 
to the height of the buildings. In the 'podium was the 
Emperor with his suite; next, in the seat of honor, were 
the Vestal Virgins in their sacred garb, while near them 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


85 


sat senators in their purple striped togas; knights in mili- 
tary uniforms, with armor of gold and shining helmets, 
while over the shoulder was thrown the red military robe ; 
ladies magnificently attired, with silken tunics and mantles 
of gold and silver tissues, or wools of glowing tints, while 
diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other gems, flashed and 
sparkled in bewildering profusion, and pearls lent their 
softer lustre, and gold and silver ornaments were so 
numerous as to scarcely occasion notice; and fans of the 
feathers of gorgeous birds of the Orient were waved to and 
fro in dainty hands glittering with jewels. Swords hung 
in gem-encrusted scabbards; plumes fluttered in the summer 
breezes, which played with languid sport amidst the arches 
open to the glowing light of Italy’s azure sky. Crimson 
awnings were stretched between supports gay with banners, 
while rainbow-tinted tapestries covered the balustrades 
and parapets of the imperial balconies; and festoons of 
roses linked pillar to pillar, while glittering statues of 
the gods occupied the intervening spaces, before whose 
shrines stood tripods filled with fragrant incense. 

Upon the higher benches sat the common people, country- 
folk, soldiers, and house-slaves. 

But see! an imposing procession of gladiators in full 
armor enters the arena. They proceed around the course 
until they reach the Emperor, to whom they lower their 
arms, and cry,^ — 

“Hail, Imperator! they who are about to die, salute 
thee!” 

At first the various manoeuvres of the gladiators is only 
a sham; but soon the dismal tones of the Tuhce give the 
signal for more bloody conflicts. The Betiarii come for- 
ward without armor, their only weapons a dagger and a 
trident; and the endeavors of the combatants are to throw 


86 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


nets over the heads of their antagonists, in order to inflict 
the death-thrust. Then Samnites, with short, straight 
swords and large shields, contest with Thracians, armed 
with curved swords, and carrying small round shields. 
Next fight combatants clad in complete armor, and knights 
tilt at each other with long lances , and Britons fight, stand- 
ing in chariots of war. 

These are no sham contests, but cruel realities. Should 
one fall alive into the hands of his opponent, the giver of 
the spectacle leaves his doom to the decision of the spec- 
tators. If life is granted, handkerchiefs are waved; if 
the condemnation is death, thumbs are turned up. Women , 
even, with as little hesitation as men, give the sign that 
commands the fatal stroke. Those who hesitate to die, 
are driven into the fight with scourges and red-hot irons. 

Kill ! lash ! burn ! ” scream the frenzied populace. “Why 
does he take the death-blow with so little bravery? Why 
does he die so reluctantly?’’ Officials in masks, represent- 
ing the demons of the lower world, drag the still palpitat- 
ing body with metal hooks into the death-chamber, while 
the victors proudly wave their palm branches, and the 
multitudes shout with applause. Moorish slaves then 
turn over with shovels the blood-saturated soil of the 
arena, and new contests begin. 

Pliny, who usually manifests a humane spirit, praises 
these games, which do not enervate the minds of men, 
but on the contrary inflame them to honorable wounds and 
contempt of death, as they perceive even in slaves and 
criminals the love of praise and desire for victory.” Thus, 
though we turn away with horror from such scenes of 
bloody sacrifice, the ancients looked upon them only with ad- 
miration and satisfaction. Though Seneca condemns these 
games, and thus eloquently answers the plea made in their 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


87 


behalf, that the victims were criminals: They deserve to 
die, I know,” he writes; “but what crime have you com- 
mitted to deserve to be a spectator of their punishment?” 

But Ovid looks upon such scenes with different emotions, 
and suggests to the young that they improve such occasions 
as suitable opportunities for love-making. While men in 
the arena were engaged in deadly combats, and blood 
flowed in streams, and the imperfectly suppressed groans 
of the dying mingled with the thoughtless words of gal- 
lantry spoken by their admirers, women sat wreathed in 
smiles, listening with delight to the ardent declarations 
of flatterers, thinking only of their own vanity, totally 
indifferent to the death-agonies of mortals like themselves, 
whom they regarded as beings beneath their slightest pity. 

Condemned criminals were bound to stakes and exposed 
to fapiished beasts ; other victims appeared tricked out in 
the finery of a theatrical spectacle, in garments interwoven 
with gold threads, and crowns on their heads, simulating 
characters in legends, or mythological fable, when suddenly 
flames would burst forth from their clothing, and they 
were quickly consumed. Others were forced to ascend 
funeral piles and be burned alive, or were hung on crosses, 
or were torn limb from limb by bears; or, like Dirce, if 
the victim were a woman, as happened in the persecution 
of the Christians, she was, perchance, bound to a raging 
bull and dragged to death, as representing the story of 
Dirce. And while such brutal scenes were enacted, 
Eoman women flirted and smiled, and men wooed, and 
the populace shouted for joy. Such was heathenism; not 
heathenism rude and uneducated, but at the zenith of its 
culture. 

Thus the Eomans feasted their eyes on murder and 
bloodshed, excusing themselves with the plea that those 


88 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


who died amid the awful tortures of the arena were not 
entitled to sympathy, being only barbarians, foreigners, 
prisoners of war, slaves, criminals, and outcasts of the 
human race. Humanity, as understood by Christian na- 
tions, was undreamt of by the Greeks and Komans. 

Together with these gladiatorial shows in the amphi- 
theatres, were fights between wild beasts, and the naval 
battles. Hippopotami were transported from Egypt, wild 
boars from the Rhine, elephants from India, and lions 
from Africa. Rhinoceroses, giraffes, and ostriches were 
also procured. Six hundred bears and five hundred lions 
are mentioned as at one festival. At the games given by 
Trajan, eleven thousand animals fought in the arena. 
Now the wild beasts contested with one another, then 
with dogs trained for the purpose, or again with men on 
foot or mounted. 

The naval battles were still more imposing. The arenas 
were fiooded, or lakes specially excavated for this display. 
Claudius exhibited on Lake Fucinus a sea-fight between 
vessels of three and four benches of oars, in which battle 
there were nineteen thousand combatants. Domitian had 
a still larger lake dug, where battles were fought by fleets 
as large as those employed in war. These were real com- 
bats, in which thousands were killed or drowned. 

One may imagine the frantic excess to which the taste 
for gladiatorial combats was carried in Rome,^ from the 
preventive law of Augustus that gladiators should no more 
combat without permission of the Senate; the praetors 
should not give these spectacles more than twice a year; 
that more than sixty couples should not engage at the 
same time, and that neither knights nor senators should 
ever contend in the arena. 


1 “ Life in Kome.' 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


89 


“ The gladiators were classified according to the national 
manner of fighting which they imitated. Thus were dis- 
tinguished the Gothic, Dacian, Thracian, and Samnite 
combatants; the Retiariif who entangled their opponents 
in nets thrown with the left hand, defending themselves 
with tridents in the right; Seeufores, whose special skill 
was in pursuit; the Laqueatoresy who threw slings against 
their adversaries ; the Dhnachce, armed with a short 
sword in each hand; the Hoplomachi, armed at all points; 
the Myrmillones, so called from the figure of a fish at the 
crest of the Gallic helmet they wore; the Bustuarii, who 
fought at funeral games ; the Bestiarii, who only assailed 
animals; other classes who fought on horseback, called 
Andohates^ and those combating in chariots drawn by two 
horses, known as Essedarii, 

‘‘Gladiators were originally slaves or prisoners of war; 
but the armies who contended in the Koman arena at later 
epochs were divided into compulsory and voluntary com- 
batants, the former alone composed of slaves or condemned 
criminals. The latter went through a laborious education 
in the art, supported at the public cost, and instructed by 
masters, called lanistce, resident in colleges, called Ludi. 
To the eternal disgrace of the morals of Imperial Rome, 
it is recorded that women sometimes fought in the arena, 
without more modesty than hired gladiators. Commodus 
degraded the imperial dignity by appearing in the arena, 
as Nero had disgraced it by his theatrical performances.’’ 

Leaving the Theatre Pompeius, Placidus and Aziel soon 
passed the Thermae Agrippae, or baths of Agrippa. Sub- 
sequently many more gorgeous structures of this kind 
were erected in Rome, but Agrippa, the son-in-law of 
Augustus, was the first to establish public baths in the 
Imperial City. Connected with these baths were Gym- 


90 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


nasia^ or halls appropriated to athletic exercises, together 
with apartments for philosophical discussions, lectures, 
and poetical recitations. Agrippa had constructed the 
aqueduct called the Aqua Virgo, to conduct the necessary 
water-supply for his baths. The Aqua Virgo started in 
theVi^ Collatina, eight miles from Home, and passed over 
the Pincian Hill, whence it was carried upon arches to the 
baths. Near here stood the famous Pantheon, built also 
by Agrippa. 

The Pantheon was at this time the most perfect pagan 
building in Home. Agrippa built it 27 b. c. 

‘^Another temple!” exclaimed Aziel, as they paused to 
behold the grace and beauty of the structure. 

^^Yea, another temple,” assented Placidus; ^^and this a 
temple for all gods. Were it not that I have seen the 
magnificent sanctuary on Moriah’s brow, I would ask thee 
if this is not a king of temples.” 

The young men approached the Pantheon by the five 
steps leading to the portico, and entered the corridor, one 
hundred and ten feet long, forty-four feet deep, and sup- 
ported by sixteen grand columns of Oriental granite, each 
thirty-six feet in height, — the earliest examples of the 
Corinthian architecture in Koine. 

They passed within the imposing bronze doors, on either 
side of which stood the colossal statues of Augustus and 
Agrippa. The interior of the temple was a rotunda, one 
hundred and forty-three feet in diameter, covered by a 
dome coffered or panelled on the inner surface. The 
golden light of the afternoon sun streamed through the 
central aperture, twenty-eight feet in diameter. Thus 
was the temple lighted. Seven large niches in the walls 
contained the statues of the different gods and goddesses 
here honored with a place, Jupiter occupying the central 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


91 


niche. All of the surrounding columns were of giallo- 
antico, save four, which were of pavonazetto^ painted 
yellow. 

‘‘Why are not those four columns also of the shining 
yellow giallo-antico?^^ asked Aziel, gazing in wonder at 
the images about him. 

“It was impossible to obtain enough of this beautiful 
African marble to complete the set,” replied Placidus; ‘^so 
you may judge how rare and costly is this much-prized 
material.” 

“Well, as thou sayest, having looked upon the incom- 
parable Temple of Jehovah, in Jerusalem the Beautiful,” 
remarked Aziel, ‘^I can only say that the Pantheon is 
stately, graceful, and imposing; but such a company of 
deities perplexes me much. That the pagans so multiply 
their gods, proves how little any one of their deities can 
influence their souls.” 

“ ^T is not strange that men at length cease to reverence 
any god, and try to solace themselves with the belief of 
annihilation after death,” said Placidus. ‘^The belief in 
an immortality is openly ridiculed,” he continued. “ Cicero 
says, ‘ that in his time hardly an old woman can be found 
who trembles at the fables about the infernal regions;’ 
and Juvenal declares, ‘ even boys disbelieve in the world 
of spirits;’ and the spirit of paganism is thus described: 
‘ For the Roman, the immortality of his family and of his 
country replaced the immortality of his own soul.' ” 

“ Ah, how hopeless such a doctrine ! ” exclaimed Aziel ; 
“and to what does it lead?” 

“To Stoicism, Epicureanism, or to suicide,” responded 
Placidus. “ The doctrines of Zeno, transplanted to Rome, 
have fascinated many. It is the boast of the sage to fear 
neither god nor man. ‘ To feel pain at the misfortunes of 


92 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


others/ says Seneca, ‘ is a weakness unworthy of the wise 
man. . . . Only weak eyes become inflamed at the sight of 
ophthalmia in other men.^ Feeling is despised, while the 
intellect is enthroned in the seat of divinity. The masses, 
who are ignorant of philosophy, are classed as slaves 
and madmen, and the sage looks down upon them with un^ 
feeling pride, and stoical indifference. But while the stoic 
disdains to help his fellow-men, he looks out with keen cun- 
ning for his own profit, as one of our satirists well says : 
‘ The business of a philosopher is to declaim in praise of 
poverty, with two million sesterces out at usury j to medi- 
tate epigrammatic conceits about the evils of luxury in 
gardens which move the envy of sovereigns; to rant about 
liberty, while fawning on the insolent and pampered freed- 
men of a tyrant; to celebrate the divine beauty of virtue, 
with the same pen which had just before written a defence 
of the murder of a mother by a son.’ ” 

“Thou speakest with bitterness, Placidus.” 

“Yea, verily. It raises my ire, as a Roman soldier, to 
remember the incorruptible Fabricius, the high-minded 
Regulus, the frugal Cincinnatus, as examples of what 
Rome once deemed the highest virtues in a citizen; and 
when I think of Julius Caesar and Pompey, and their 
conquests, these modern laggards make me groan. As the 
alliance of religion with patriotism is now fast being dis- 
solved, nothing remains but lifeless forms and absurd 
superstitions; and Roman paganism has now become a 
thing of puerile scanning of the entrails of sacrificial vic- 
tims, or watching for other foolish omens, or going over 
to utter unbelief. ‘ The man of pleasure always hates 
ideas, and the man of the world generally despises arts 
which do not tend to tangible advantage; ’ and our rhetori- 
cians attack our philosophers, and shams and humbugs are 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


93 


everywhere apparent. Even our wars are now only sham 
shows in Nero’s train; and Petronius, whom you heard 
just now, speaks often bitter truth in raillery ; and, carica- 
turing this present Roman rage for legacy-hunting, or 
Capatioy which turns every man into a fawning hanger-on 
to every childless possessor of wealth, Petronius declared 
the other day : ‘ The whole town is divided into those who 
throw the bait and those who take it. No one acknowl- 
edges children, for the man who has heirs is never invited 
to any festive gathering, but is left to associate with the 
dregs of society. On the other hand, the childless man 
is covered with honors, and passes for a model of all the 
virtues: Rome is like a field outside a plague-stricken 
city, in which you can see nothing but carcasses, and crows 
which feed upon them.’ ” 

‘‘A Jew glories in his children,” cried Aziel, ^4’or in 
them he beholds the continued power of his people ; and 
naught is so dear to a Jew as his nation and his God.” 

“While Nero persecutes and kills his nearest friends, 
if they be possessed of the gold upon which his eager 
hands can clutch, it cannot be expected that his Roman 
imitators will cease from such nefarious pursuits,” sighed 
Placidus. 

“What weighty matters do ye so soberly discuss?” cried 
a passing youth, noting the earnest manner of Placidus 
and Aziel, — a novelty in Rome, where no one is in 
earnest, save to outstrip his neighbor in pleasure or in 
vice. “Come to the Campus Martius,” continued the 
youth; “Caesar himself wrestles to-day for a laurel wreath, 
not being content with the crown of the Roman Empire.” 

“If Nero wrestles, it were a brave sight indeed,” sneered 
Placidus. “Nevertheless, Aziel, perchance it will amuse 
thee, as thou art not a Roman soldier.” 


94 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Whereupon the two followed the youth along the Via 
Flaminia, towards which crowds were coming from all 
directions of the city. Placidus and Aziel had approached 
the Via Flaminia through the Forum Piscatorium, where 
the fishermen from the Tiber found a market for their fish. 
On the other side of the Campus Martius, bordered on 
the west by the Tiber, were the Narvalia, or stations of 
the war-galleys. By the side of this ^‘play-ground’^ of the 
Koman people, if one strolled along the river bank, the 
light skiff might be seen descending the stream, while 
the barge, heavily laden with its precious freight of gold 
and silver or merchandise, or the more necessary corn, was 
being slowly towed up the river to the landing. 

Not far from the Pantheon, as Placidus and Aziel 
passed the fountain in the Piazza della Kotonda, they 
had observed a number of bird fanciers surrounded by 
numerous cages, containing living birds for sale. Among 
the feathery tribes one noted the Java sparrows, parrots 
and paroquets, gray thrushes, and the beautiful and tiny 
sweet singers, the cardellini ; also the warblers of the 
night, the hul-hul, or Persian nightingales; while nearby 
were the 'petti Bossi, or red-breasts, and yellow canary- 
birds, swelling their golden throats to fill the sunlit air 
with strains of melody; and also the gentle ring-doves, 
cooing softly to their mates, while magpies chattered 
together to the music of the flashing fountain. Great owls 
perched on stands glared wisely out of their large, sleep}’' 
yellow eyes. There were all sorts of owls, from the solemn 
barbigiani, and white-tufted owl, to the quaint and petite 
civetta, which gives its name to all sharp-witted and heart- 
less flirts; and there, too, was the aziolay so celebrated in 
song. 

Aziel glanced at the pretty songsters with a feeling of 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


95 


relief after his morning with the false gods. His heart 
turned to the house on Zion’s Hill, in his loved Jerusalem, 
and he sighed to think how long had been his absence from 
the city, and how much he had missed a certain dark-eyed 
maiden. Not among the Greek maids nor Alexandrian 
beauties, nor to-day in the streets of Eome, though many 
noble Eoman ladies had been abroad to watch the royal 
pageants, had there appeared to Aziel so fair a face as 
Miriam’s. Then he had remembered Jessica, and had 
wished to purchase for her a queer little civetta ; not that 
the child was on the way to become a heartless flirt, for 
there are no flirts among modest Jewish maidens, but that 
her sharp-witted sayings had often amused him greatly. 
But Jerusalem was far away, and owls are not comely 
travelling companions; and so the civetta waited a Eoman 
purchaser, and Aziel only wafted his thoughts from Eome 
to Miriam and Jessica upon Zion’s Holy Hill. 

Placidus and Aziel had now reached the famous Campus 
Martius. This Campus Martius was used for the exercises 
and evolutions of the military troops, as well as for athletic 
sports; and when a victorious general was waiting outside 
the walls of Eome, until his triumph should have been 
decreed him by the senate, this camp presented a gorgeous 
and martial array. Here also, twice a year, were the 
Equiria^ or horse-races, said to have been instituted by 
Eomulus, now celebrated in this Campus in the month 
dedicated to Mars. 

And now all Eome had flocked thither to see brave 
Caesar perform his exercises, which he called wrestling- 
matches, but which Placidus named puppet-shows. Upon 
the field were many noble youths of manly build and 
athletic frames. * 

‘^A goodly sight they are,” quoth Placidus; ‘^’twere a 


96 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


pity to waste such fine physiques in court luxuries, instead 
of sending them to martial fields, where they might win 
a general’s triumph. Look, Aziel,” he continued; ‘^now 
they wrestle with each other, they evince much grace and 
prowess; but see!” he added with disdain, ^‘behold, great 
Caesar joins them in his purple tunic, with his lean legs 
and wabbling gait; he makes, in truth, a royal spectacle. 
Now that he joins in the games, all the youths, forsooth, 
must favor mighty Caesar, nor dare to lay his sacred body 
in the dust; and so they cringe and play the puppet for 
his royal diversion, and allow his unskilled limbs to seem- 
ingly gain him the victory. They suffer him to fell them 
to the earth, and take the laurel wreath as victor in the 
match. Come, Aziel,” he continued, ‘‘the puppet-show is 
over. Great Caesar will now bathe in perfumes, anoint 
his sacred locks, and sup before the world. Forsooth, a 
glorious sight for gods and mortals ! ” 

“ Thou likest not this Nero, ’t is plain,” exclaimed Aziel; 
“and bad as our Herods have been, thy Nero hath sur- 
passed them.” 

“But I like thee^J^w as thou art!” rejoined Placidus; 
“ and I would fain bear thee to my mother’s house as my 
guest, during thy stay in Eome.” 

“But being a Jew, such courtesy might embarrass thee,” 
responded Aziel; “though, much as I esteem thy invita- 
tion, we Jews, being somewhat restricted as regards our 
diet, are sometimes inconvenient guests to Gentiles. I am 
of the opinion that I had best return for lodging to my 
friend’s house in the Ghetto, where I shall not cause in- 
convenience in the setting of repasts.” 

“Nay, nay! ” cried Placidus, “I will not have it so! I 
have been long enough in Jerusalem to know thy national 
prejudices, and they shall be respected; and as thou art 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


97 


a Christian, my mother will be glad to welcome thee, for 
she leans to that faith, as does also my sister.” 

Leaving the Campus, Placidus and Aziel returned by the 
Via Flaminia to the Forum. Between the Capitoline Hill 
and the Theatre of Pompeius were the Circus Flaminius, 
Porticus of Octavius, Portico of Octavia, Theatre of 
Balbus, and the Theatre of Marcellus. Near the Circus 
Flaminius, on the eastern side of the Temple of Hercules 
Musarum, was the Porticus Metelli,' which enclosed two 
temples, — that of Jupiter Stator and of Juno. Before 
these temples Metellus placed the famous group of twenty- 
five bronze statues, which he had brought from Greece. 
These statues, executed by Lysippus for Alexander the 
Great, represented that conqueror and the twenty-four 
horsemen of his troop, who had fallen at the Granicus. 

The home of Placidus being on the Caelian Hill, Aziel 
saw several portions of Home still new to him; and, as 
Placidus was proud to point out the objects of note in his 
native city, the walk from the Campus Martius to the 
Caelian Hill was full of interest to Aziel. 

As they passed round the Capitoline Hill to the Forum, 
Placidus showed Aziel the site of the famous Mamertine 
prison, where it is supposed Saint Paul and Saint Peter 
were imprisoned at that very time. 


7 


98 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER VII. 

FAMOUS VILLAS ON THE QUIRINAL, ESQUILINE, AND PINCIAN 
HILLS. — VIRGILIA AND MYRTILLA. 

To the north and northeast of the Forum were the Quirinal 
and Esquiline hills, divided by the spur of the Viminal 
Hill, and nearer, towards the Forum, was the thickly 
populated district known as the Suburra. To the north 
of the Quirinal lay the Pincian, on which stood the famous 
Villa of Lucullus, filled with paintings, statues, and other 
works of art^ collected at an immense expense. Here, in 
his Pincian villa, Lucullus gave his celebrated feast to 
Cicero and Pompey, when, by a remark to his slave, ‘Hhat 
he should sup in the Hall of Apollo,” it was immediately 
understood by his servants that a feast of the greatest 
magnificence must be prepared. This noted villa after- 
wards belonged to Valerius Asiaticus, in the reign of 
Claudius, and was so coveted by the Emperor’s wife, 
Messalina, that she procured by false accusation the con- 
demnation to death of Valerius, and the villa became hers; 
and in its beautiful gardens she was afterwards put to 
death for her own foul crimes. 

In the region beyond the Porto Salaria, on the north- 
eastern slopes of the Pincian Hill, were many catacombs, 
— one of them being that of Saint Priscilla, supposed to 
have been the mother of Pudens, and a contemporary of 
the Apostles. 

On the Quirinal Hill, then united by an isthmus of land 
to the Capitoline Hill, stood the Temple dedicated to 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


99 


Eomulus, who received after hfs death the name of the 
god of the Sabines, — Quirinus. This temple was adorned 
with a sun-dial, the first set up in Kome. In front of it 
grew the celebrated myrtle-trees, called Patricia and 
Plebeia^ said to flourish or fade, according to the fortunes 
of their respective parties. Among the great families 
who dwelt on the Quirinal was that of the Flavii, who 
were of Sabine origin. 

The southern side of the Quirinal Hill formed the 
famous Mons Tarjpeia, or Tarpeian Rock, where, in a cave 
beneath, tradition stationed the beautiful Tarpeia, spark- 
ling with gold and jewels, enchanted and motionless, as 
a punishment for opening the gate of the fortress to the 
Sabians, she having been bribed by the golden bracelets of 
the warriors. 

On the northeastern slope of the Quirinal were the 
gardens of Sallust, Horti Pretiosissimi, purchased for the 
emperors after the death of the historian. This villa was 
a favorite resort of Vespasian, Nerva, and Aurelian. This 
house, made afterwards into a palace, contained superb 
baths, and a portico, called Milliarensis, one thousand feet 
long. Part of the grounds are supposed to have formed 
the Campus Sceleratus, where the Vestal Virgins who had 
broken their vestal vows suffered. When condemned 
by the college of pontifices, the vestal was stripped of her 
vittce^ and other badges of office; then scourged; then 
attired like a corpse, and, attended by her weeping kindred, 
with all the ceremonies of a real funeral, taken to the 
Campus Sceleratus, within the city walls, close to the 
Colline gate. There a small vault underground had pre- 
viously been prepared, containing a couch, a lamp, and a 
table with a little food. The Pontifex Maximus, having 
lifted his hands to heaven, and uttered a secret prayer, 


100 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


opened the litter, led forth the culprit, and placing her on 
the steps of the ladder which gave access to the subter- 
ranean cell, delivered her over to the common executioner 
and his assistants, who conducted her down, then drew up 
the ladder, and having filled the pit with earth, until the 
surface was level with the surrounding ground, left her to 
perish. In every case the paramour was publicly scourged 
to death in the Forum.” 

Viewing from a distance the objects on the Pincian and 
Quirinal hills, Aziel and Placidus, passing to the north- 
eastern side of the Palatine, approached the ‘‘ Mons Esqui- 
linus.” “The Esquiline, which is the largesfof the seven 
hills of Pome, is not a distinct hill, but a projection of the 
Campagna. The Quirinal, Yiminal, Esquiline, and Cselian 
stretch out towards the Tiber like four fingers of a hand, 
of which the plain, whence they detach themselves, re- 
presents the vast palm. ‘ This hand has seized the world. ’ 
The name Esquiline was derived from the word Excultus^ 
because of the ornamental groves planted here by Servius 
Tullius. The sacred wood of the Argiletum long remained 
on the lower slope of the hill.” 

On this hill were altars to Juno, Venus, and the Sabine 
sun-god, Janus. The most important buildings in repub- 
lican and imperial times were on the slope of the hill 
behind the Eorum, near to the spot where afterwards stood 
the Coliseum. 

“Thou beholdest that temple on the rise yonder,” said 
Placidus; “that is the Temple of Tellus, and the quarter 
surrounding it has received the name of ^Intellure.’ It 
is a very noted neighborhood, and has many famous villas. 
In the part called Carinae, the popular residence of Roman 
knights, lived the father of Cicero.” 

“What is that quaint villa adorned with curious rostra?” 
asked Aziel. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


101 


“That was the palace of Pompey, and he ordered it to 
be thus ornamented in memory of his naval victories.. The 
rooms within are painted to resemble forests, with trees 
and birds, similar to the chambers discovered in the villa 
of Livia. Here the wife of Pompey, the daughter of 
Julius Caesar, died. This palace was afterwards possessed 
by the luxurious Antony.” 

^Ht would seem to be a famous neighborhood,” said 
Aziel. 

“Yea, there are many other houses of note here. You 
behold that row of arches, richly ornamented; that is the 
portico of Livia, built by Augustus. And, strangely 
enough, this fashionable Carinae, at its opposite extremity, 
is united to the plebeian Suburra, which occupies the valley 
formed by the convergence of the Esquiline, Quirinal, and 
Viminal hills. Several poets have dwelt on the Esquiline; 
among them were Horace and Virgil.” 

“ I have been informed that Propertius, the Latin poet, 
also had a villa here,” said Aziel. 

“Yea; you see there to the right the house where he is 
said to have lived,” replied Placidus. “ On this hill also 
is the house of Maecenas, the great patron of poets in the 
Augustan age. He bequeathed this villa to Augustus, and 
Tiberius afterward dwelt in it. It was from the tower 
of the house of Maecenas, then the royal palace of the 
Caesars, that Hero beheld the burning of Koine, in July, 
A. D. 64 .” 

“ How did that terrible conflagration originate?” asked 
Aziel. 

“It started in the stalls near the Circus Maximus, in 
which many of the Jews carried on their trades, and 
where many combustible materials were collected. Then 
it seized the wooden stagings and seats in the Circus, and 


102 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


swept onwards until it was finally conquered at the wall 
of Servius Tullius near the gardens of Maecenas. The 
fire broke out anew in another quarter of the city, near the 
gardens of Tigellinus, who was reported to have ordered 
this confiagration to please Nero. The fire raged in all 
nine days and nights, and of the fourteen regions of the 
city, only four entirely escaped. Three regions were com- 
pletely destroyed. The day of the outburst of the fire was 
the same day of the year when Eome had been fired by 
the Gauls. Of the famous temples and monuments de- 
stroyed in this confiagration of 64 a. d., those definitely 
known to have been demolished were the Temple of Diana, 
erected by Servius Tullius ; the Shrine and Altar of Her- 
cules; the Romulean Temple of Jupiter Stator; the Little 
Regia of Numa; while the Temple of Vesta, with the 
Palladium and the Penates, were injured, but not wholly 
destroyed.” 

This region looks not as though it had been swept with 
such destruction,” said Aziel, gazing with admiration on 
the magnificent Golden House of Nero, which began at the 
house of Maecenas. 

‘^Thou art right, indeed,” replied Placidus; ‘Hhese 
gorgeous porticos and gardens and villas, comprising the 
wonderful Golden House, covering this side of the Esqui- 
line, and taking in part of the Caelian and Palatine, have 
rebuilt Rome with more than its former grandeur.” 

The young men now drew near to a fountain, and per- 
ceiving its classic adornment, Aziel remarked it. 

“That is the ^Lacus Orphei,’” said Placidus. “You 
observe the rock in the centre of the fountain, surmounted 
with the statue of Orpheus, with the enchanted beasts 
around him; it was near this spot that Pliny lived.” 

Placidus and Aziel had taken their way from the Forum 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 103 

by the Via Sacra, to the north of the Palatine Hill, and 
to the southwest of the Quirinal and Esquiline hills, on 
towards the Cselian. The Via Sacra, at this time, was 
bordered with shops; Ovid mentions some of the various 
articles which could be purchased there in his time. 
Placidus and Aziel stopped for a moment in that part of 
the Via, at the market for fruits and honey. Having pro- 
cured a basket of purple figs, the young men resumed their 
walk. Near this place was the famous fountain called 
“Meta Sudans,” where the crowds came to drink; and Sen- 
eca, who lived in this neighborhood, complained of the noise 
of the showman who blew his trumpet close by this foun- 
tain, to announce the beginning of the performances in the 
theatres and circus. At this point of the Via Sacra the 
Via Triumphalis leads to the Via Appia. “The line of 
the Triumphal Way seems to have run from the Porta 
Carmentalis along the Vicus Jugarius, up one side of the 
Velabrum, and down the other again by the Via Nova, 
thence through the Circus, making a complete circuit of 
the original city on the Palatine.” 

Placidus conducted Aziel round to the western corner of 
the Palatine Hill, where was still standing a portion of 
the wall of Komulus, the earliest wall of the Palatine. 
It was constructed of oblong blocks of the brown tufa, 
without mortar or cement. Close under the northern side 
of the wall of Komulus ran the Via Nova. In this part of 
the Palatine were the chambers of the Praetorian Guards 
and Placidus led Aziel into some of the apartments, and 
pointed out to him a number of sketches, termed Graffiti, 
some of them being caricatures of the Crucifixion, supposed 
to have been made by the pagan soldiers, in ridicule of 
a Christian fellow-soldier. Placidus showed Aziel one 
chamber in which it was said Paul had been confined. 


104 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


^‘As I was in Syria during Paul’s previous imprison- 
ment in Rome, I can only give you common rumor on 
these things,” remarked Placidus; “but as you express ad- 
miration for him, I thought this might be of interest to 
you.” 

“Would it be possible to obtain access to him in the 
Mamertine Prison, thinkest thou?” inquired Aziel. “I 
have a great desire to see him again; I heard him preach 
at Jerusalem some years since.” 

“I doubt if 1 could obtain for thee this favor; the 
prisoners in the Mamertine Prison are closely guarded, 
and Nero is growing suspicious of all interest manifested 
in the Christians.” 

Ascending the hillside by a path running through an 
orange garden, the young men reached the Stadium for 
foot-races, and Placidus pointed out the ruins of the house 
of Cicero, and the villa of Clodius, the favorite lover of 
Pompeia, the wife of Julius Caesar. They now passed 
down the slope of the Palatine leading to the valley at the 
foot of the Caelian. 

The home of Placidus was on the southeastern slope of 
the Caelian Hill. Here, too, were the gardens of Plautius 
Lateranus, whose estates were conhscated by Nero, while 
Plautius himself was condemned to death, having been 
accused of taking part in a conspiracy of Piso. The 
famous statues of the Niobides, thought to be the work 
of Scopas, were found in these gardens. 

From this part of the Caelian Hill, where stood the villa 
of Placidus, a magnificent view was obtained. On one 
side were the Alban Hills, now purple in the deepening 
twilight, dotted with villages ; on the other side were the 
Sabine Mountains, snow-tipped, while in the nearer dis- 
tance the golden-hued lines of the long aqueducts stretched 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


105 


away over the plains, till they were lost against the glow- 
ing sunset sky. Nearer still, groves of trees led to an 
ancient basilica, while on the left were fruit gardens, 
interspersed with fragments of massive brickwork, the 
remains of the old walls of the city. The road below 
this picturesque villa was the Via Appia Nuova. 

The stately brick arches, forming the portico of the 
villa, were laden with a wealth of laurustinus, cytisus, 
and other flowering shrubs, standing out with delicate 
beauty against the soft hues of the distant Campagna. 
Beneath the terrace was a range of lofty chambers 
on arches, framing exquisite glimpses of the Alban 
Hills. 

Kunning lengthwise through the garden were the ruins 
of an aqueduct, the arches of which, ivy-mantled, were 
adorned here and there with statues; while myriads of 
roses clambered over the ruined walls, forming arbors and 
hedges of glowing fragrance, and clinging with picturesque 
poetry to the dark cypress-trees; while aloes, Indian fig- 
trees, and palms threw their graceful shadows between 
ancient columns, and huge vases, filled with luxuriant 
bloom, stood amidst fragments of the ruined brickwork, 
which added enchantment to the glowing beauty of the life 
of nature, radiant on all sides. 

Here and there clusters of the beautiful rock-rose shed 
their white, pink-flushed petals, like delicate snow-flakes 
touched with the sunset blush, on the green sward below, 
while the star-eyed anemones winked like laughing children 
of nature, nodding their graceful heads in the summer 
breezes which sang their nightly lullaby. 

The mother of Placidus was of a noble family of Eoman 
knights, and this villa was her ancestral home. Aziel 
entered the stately mansion, preceded by Placidus, and 


106 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


followed his friend into the atrium^ paved with the tiles 
of the famous Opus Alexandrinum, and its crimson and 
violet hues tempered the white and gold of the walls. 

Here Placidus was welcomed by his mother and sister, 
who received Aziel as the guest of their son and brother 
with refined courtesy. 

As Aziel glanced at the handsome Koman matron 
Virgilia, and then scanned for a moment the fair features 
of the slender and graceful Myrtilla, it was easy to account 
for the many noble impulses evinced by his soldier friend 
in their various conversations; and Aziel immediately felt 
that here was a Roman home untainted by the vices of the 
court of the infamous Nero. 

The mother of Placidus, whose very presence and cour- 
teous manners evinced her noble patrician blood, was 
attired in a rich robe of crimson, with golden girdle, and 
sandals set with gems. 

Myrtilla, who seemed the same age as Miriam, was as 
lovely as a dream. She wore the Greek rather than the 
Roman dress. Her costume was of white wool, hanging 
in the graceful folds of the Grecian tunic, fastened at the 
shoulder with antique cameos carved by some Greek artist. 
Her girdle was of silver links curiously wrought, and her 
dark hair banded by silver fillets. Her throat and arms 
were clasped with strings of pearls, while her silver 
sandals were set with the same pure jewels. She was 
indeed beautiful, and as she welcomed Aziel, her dark 
eyes softened, and her cheeks flushed like the delicate 
bloom of the blush roses she wore in her silver girdle. 

“My sister delights in Grecian poetry,” said Placidus, 
as he presented his friend, “and therefore often assumes 
the costume of the heroines she admires.” 

“Nor could be found so fitting a personification of the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 107 

Greek Muse, on any page of Homer,” gallantly rejoined 
Aziel. 

“Thou art very welcome as the friend of my son,” said 
Virgiliaj ^^and as he tells me thou art also a Christian, 
and from Jerusalem, thou art doubly welcome. I would 
gladly learn more about the Nazarene, of whom my hus- 
band used to speak.” 

‘‘Didst thou behold the royal procession to-day?” in- 
quired Aziel. “ I beheld many Homan ladies viewing the 
gorgeous spectacle.” 

“Nay,” answered Yirgilia; “Myrtilla and I go not often 
beyond our gardens here. Indeed, since Nero sat upon 
the throne of the Empire, modest Koman ladies were best 
at home. I guard well my daughter, for if, peradventure, 
Caesar should find her face fair, she might be commanded 
to join the ladies at the Imperial Court, as have been 
many others from patrician families; and that would mean 
infamy, though in many quarters in Home it is esteemed 
an honor. Myrtilla and I go rarely from our villa, unless 
it be in closed litters borne by our pedisequi, and attended 
by our higher slaves, the atriensis^ our trusted steward, 
and secretaries and pages, as our guard, when Placidus is 
absent at the wars. Thus we sometimes venture forth 
to attend Christian service in the Catacombs, the only 
safe places of worship, since Nero’s persecutions of the 
Christians.” 

Placidus and Aziel soon retired to prepare themselves 
for the ocena, or Koman dinner, which at Koine was re- 
garded as the great event of the day. Three hours was 
the shortest time that a rich man took over this formal 
dinner. It sometimes began at three o’clock in the after- 
noon, and lasted until midnight. The ordinary number at 
a dinner-party was nine, three reclining on each of the 


108 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


three couches, that the number might accord with that of 
the Muses; nor must the number be less than three, the 
number of the Graces. But often the guests were very 
numerous, where the triclinium, or dining-hall, would 
admit of many tables and couches. The place of honor 
at the feast was ‘Mmus in medio,” the right-hand corner of 
the middle couch, while the host occupied the adjoining 
place, ‘‘Summus in imo.” 

The gradation of places was a very important part of 
the etiquette of the table. A spoon was the only imple- 
ment used by the guests, the knife being only employed 
by the slave-carver. Forks were unknown. The invita- 
tions to dinner were sent by the hands of a slave, called 
vocator; the guests came dressed in festive attire, in the 
style termed synthesis, their costumes being often of bril- 
liant colors, — purple, green, blue, scarlet, and crimson ; 
and some of the guests changed their dress several times 
during the evening. 

The banquet consisted of three parts, the promulsis and 
gustatio, intended to whet the appetite, and the ccena 
proper. 

A banquet was not considered successful unless it became 
the talk of the city. The more absurd the extravagance of 
the feast, the more certain was the host of gaining the 
coveted notoriety. 

A king of the wine, or arbiter of drinking, was chosen 
for his convivial qualities by the Bacchanalian crew about 
him,” and pantomimes, rope-dancers, dwarfs, jesters, and 
even gladiators were introduced between the courses, for 
the amusement of the guests. The attendants and cup- 
bearers were slaves chosen for their beauty, and purchased 
at great price. 

“Excessive drinking was a common vice at Rome, though 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


109 


the wines of the ancients seem not to have produced such 
degrading effects as modern beer and spirits. Pliny the 
elder tells about the devices which were adopted to excite 
thirst. Some drank hemlock, that they might be obliged 
to drink wine to save their lives ; others took pumice-stone 
powdered, or like doses. Tiberius went to see a man of 
Mediolanum, who could swallow seventeen pints at a 
draught, and Tiberius and his son, Drusus, were notori- 
ous wine-drinkers.” 

Kare dishes obtained a fictitious value, and the costli- 
ness of the banquet was the chief ambition. A mullet, 
when of unusual weight, cost 6,000 sesterces. Wild boars 
were served up whole; peacocks were placed upon the table 
with their gorgeous tails full spread; the brains of rare 
birds commanded an exorbitant price; the tongues of 
nightingales was a dish fit even for a Caesar. The Eomans 
were well supplied with fruit. They had several varieties 
of apples, many kinds of pears and plums, pomegranates, 
cherries, peaches, figs, dates, medlars , quinces, mulberries, 
strawberries, chestnuts, almonds, and various other nuts. 
Winter grapes and melons were grown under glass; and 
greenhouses and hothouses for flowers and fruits were 
common. Roses, lilies, and violets were largely culti- 
vated, and their feasts and banqueting-halls were lavishly 
adorned with vines and blossoms. Fountains played in the 
porticoed nymphceum, opening from the triclinium, and 
the latter blazed with gilded beams, supported by pillars 
of African marble, and often contained statues in silver and 
in bronze, the work, perchance, of the famous Myron. 

Kever, perhaps, except in the palaces of the Incas, has 
gold been so lavishly employed in the decoration of walls 
and in ceilings, as in the palaces and villas of the knights 
and senators of Rome ; and the richest marbles ornamented 


110 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the halls and grand apartments. Ivory and jewels were 
mingled with gold and silver in rare and curiously wro.ught 
vases and cups. Ornaments in silver plate, executed by 
famous artists, tables of African citrus'wood, vessels of 
Murrha, and Corinthian bronzes, brought fabulous prices, 
and were the ambition of the rich. 

Nero paid a million sesterces for a cup of Murrha, and 
Cicero the same sum for a table of citrus-wood; and Seneca 
possessed five hundred of these tables. The citrus-wood 
was admired for its fine and beautiful grain, which re- 
sembled a tiger’s or a panther’s skin, or a peacock’s tail. 
As an instance of the cost of furniture in Koman villas, 
the incident is given of the burning of the house of the 
millionnaire, Scaurus, by which fire he was said to have 
lost a hundred million sesterces. 

The glass and colored crystal work of the Eomans was 
superior, and delicate glass cups and vases were numerous. 
Their bed-rooms were also lavishly adorned, the beds often 
having gilt and silver legs; their mattresses were stuffed 
with eider-dowm; the pillows covered with silk, and the 
purple coverlets richly embroidered with pictures. With 
this slight digression to give a picture of Koman society, 
we will now return to the home of Placidus. 

The triclinium^ or dining-hall, into which Aziel was 
now escorted, was large, and richly ornamented. Upon the 
walls were frescoed the nine Muses, — there Urania, in 
azure robe crowned with stars, floated through the snowy 
clouds; Terpsichore, draped in rose-color, balanced her 
dainty foot upon a sunset cloud, and held her arms aloft 
in the graceful attitude of a festive dance; Polyhymnia, 
clothed and veiled in white, bore lilies in her hands; while 
Erato, crowned with roses and myrtle, and draped in pale 
pink, reclined upon a moss-bank; Euterpe, with robe of 


THE BOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Ill 


gold, and golden lyre, played in the sylvan grove; while 
Melpomene and Thalia, accompanied by Calliope and Clio, 
with scroll and golden trumpet, completed the band of 
mystic sisters. 

Eoman villas were often decorated with graceful wall- 
paintings, representing figures, scenes, flowers, fruit, or 
ornamental patterns. Many famous pictures were copied 
on house walls, or worked into fine mosaics upon the 
floors. Home was full of pictures, both decorative and 
monumental. Pictorial representations were used as pla- 
cards or votive tablets. 

Behind the couch where Myrtilla sat, vases of violets 
and lilies added their charms to her fair beauty, while 
glowing roses seemed appropriate adjuncts to the stately 
Virgilia. The tables were adorned with glistening vessels 
of glass and cups of silver, while golden goblets were 
filled with ruby and amber wines. The attendant slaves 
and adornments of the apartment bespoke wealth, but not 
vulgar ostentation; and the graceful and flowing conversa- 
tion of Virgilia and her children conformed with the 
famous saying of Varro: “People at supper should neither 
be loquacious nor mute; eloquence is for the Forum, silence 
for the bed-chamber.” 

The table-talk of the higher classes at Koine was usually 
terse and epigrammatic. They seem to have cultivated a 
dry, sententious style, while their remarks on life and 
manners were conveyed in solemn and caustic aphorisms, 
scorning an abundance of words. This applies, of course, 
only to the more sedate and scholarly men, who had not 
become so tainted with the profligacy of the times, as to 
delight in coarse jests and vulgar satires. But the truly 
refined and elegant, like Virgilia and Myrtilla, added the 
smooth, flowing style of Greek culture to their conversa- 


112 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


tions, which imparted to their language a peculiar charm. 
As Komans of high rank were accustomed to educate their 
daughters equally with their sons, girls were instructed in 
music, painting, and literature, and often became proficient 
in these accomplishments. 

“Thou hast lately come from Greece, hast thou not?’’ 
Virgilia inquired of Aziel. 

‘^Yea; I was several months in Athens, and went also 
to Corinth,” he answered. 

Thou hast, then, doubtless heard of the ^ Praise of 
Julius,’ and of his restoration of Corinth, after its desecra- 
tion by the ruthless Mummius,” said Placidus. 

‘^Yea,” replied Aziel; “that was one of the noblest 
works of Julius Caesar; for the position of Corinth, at the 
head of two almost commingling gulfs, and commanding 
by them the commerce of Italy and Asia, gives her a 
position not less admirable than that of Alexandria or 
Byzantium; and Caesar also displayed his good sense by 
establishing a colony there of enfranchised slaves, rather 
than from the sons of Pome’s lazy plebeians.” 

“I agree with thee,” assented Placidus. “Ho such mer- 
cantile community as the present Corinth could have 
sprung from the enervated descendants of Caesar’s veterans. 
Corinth has now taken the lead among the cities of 
European Hellas, and there is established the seat of the 
Poman government of Achaia, and its population probably 
exceeds that of any other Grecian rival. The beauty of its 
situation, the florid graces of its architecture, the charms of 
its parks and pleasure-grounds, delight the stranger; and 
the light and airy arcades, which connect the city with its 
harbor at Lechaeum, may be advantageously contrasted 
with the monotonous length of wall which extends from 
Athens to the Piraeus.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


113 


^^But that which interested me most in my visit to 
Corinth,” remarked Aziel, “ was the treasure I obtained 
while there.” 

“ Doubtless some of that priceless Corinthian bronze 
buried in the ruins of the former city, which is now 
and then discovered, and commands large prices,” said 
Placidus. 

^^Nay, thou art wrong,” laughed Aziel; “my prize is 
worth more than Corinthian bronze, valuable as that may 
be, and will interest thy mother greatly, for it is a copy of 
the First and Second Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, 
which I obtained from the Christians while at Corinth.” 

‘‘Thou hast indeed a treasure,” affirmed Virgilia. “I 
have often desired to read those Epistles, especially the 
First, which I am informed so strongly proves the Kesur- 
rection of the Christ. I have a copy of the Gospels of 
Matthew and Luke, and a copy of PauPs Epistle to the 
Komans, obtained from the Christian Church here. Wilt 
thou remain long enough in Rome to allow my secretaries 
to copy thy precious scroll?” 

“ I shall be in Rome a month, but must then hasten back 
to Jerusalem, for I have grave news concerning matters 
there, and already there are serious disturbances which 
may portend a war in Judaea, if not in Jerusalem itself.” 

“Ah, well, if thou wilt grant me the loan of that scroll, 
I have many slaves who can write rapidly, and in that 
length of time I may secure a copy of this precious docu- 
ment,” said Virgilia; while Placidus exclaimed, — 

“That events point to war between Rome and Jerusalem, 
I admit; but, remember, Placidus and Aziel are always 
friends, though one be a Jew, and one a Roman; and 
though we find ourselves in hostile camps, if Aziel suffers, 
tlacidus will seek his relief.” 


8 


114 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘ I thank thee, noble Koman,” cried Aziel; ^^and while 
Aziel lives, in peace or war, the name of Placidus will 
always gain all aid within my power.” 

“In truth, that was nobly said by both of you,” declared 
the Eoman matron, while the beautiful Myrtilla gazed 
from brother to friend with pride and emotion, dropping 
her downcast eyes as the glance of Aziel sought her face. 

Remember, Placidus,” said his mother, ^Hhe name of 
war to woman is ever a terrible theme, even though she be 
the mother or the sister of a Roman soldier. I would not 
hold thee back, my son, from that profession of a knight, 
followed so worthily by thy revered father; but still, my 
mother’s heart grows faint at sound of war, and in thy 
absence Myrtilla and I grow very sad.” 

Thou art a model wife and mother of a soldier, ” replied 
Placidus, ^^and thou hast never shown a craven heart when 
duty called thy son or husband to the field. If war again 
calls me, I know that both thou and my sister will display 
a true Roman courage and patriotism, though I must con- 
fess there is little of such valor now in vogue in Nero’s 
Rome. But, mother, we will talk on themes more grateful 
to thy loving heart. Aziel has told me much of this 
wondrous Nazarene, of whom my father spoke, and if it 
will calm thy troubled spirit, I will avow that I also have 
a great leaning towards that faith ; for in these times, the 
marvellous life of Christ, and His holy teachings, appear, 
forsooth, the only inspiration for a soul groping blindly 
through the many superstitions of this age.” 

^^Thy father died believing in the Christ,” faltered 
Virgilia, her voice trembling with emotion; ^^and I have 
no greater hope for my children or myself, than that we 
also should accept this Christ as the Redeemer of the 
world, even though it leads to a Christian martyr’s fate. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 115 

But I am straitened, young Aziel,” she continued, ‘‘until 
I read thy precious scroll. Canst thou lend it to me this 
eve, that I may peruse it in the hours of the night, and 
not encroach upon the short days which must suffice for 
my secretaries to obtain a copy of it? Forsooth, I cannot 
rest until I read the words of Paul upon the Kesurrection ; 
for methinks upon the truth of that event hangs largely 
the Christian hope of immortality.” 

Thereupon Azie] gladly removed the carefully guarded 
scroll from the folds of his embroidered girdle, and hand- 
ing it to Virgilia, he departed with Placidus to the Prae- 
torian camp, where the Roman soldier was summoned by 
military affairs. 


116 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE THERM.E AGRIPPiE. — THE SUICIDE OF PETRONIUS. — 

THE ROMAN SENATOR. SHOCKING SPECTACLES IN NERO’s 

CIRCUS GARDENS. 

About a month after the events narrated in our last 
chapter, Placidus and Aziel were seated in one of the 
apartments of the Thermae Agrippae, where the Roman 
patrician youths were wont to gather together with the 
strangers visiting Rome, to hear the latest news from the 
court, or the more important facts concerning the politics 
or commerce of the Empire. 

‘‘Nero is now in Campania, I hear,’^ remarked an 
Egyptian corn-merchant, lately arrived from Alexandria, 
who reclined on one of the low couches, displaying by the 
richness of his dress the prosperity of his business. He 
was clothed in a long white linen tunic, with full sleeves, 
and girdled with a wide belt of Persian colors, richly 
blended. His outer robe was of silk with blue and golden 
stripes, fringed at the hem, but without sleeves. His 
turban was of scarlet silk roped with cords of gold, which 
held it in place above his swarthy brow. He still adhered 
to the ancient Egyptian custom of shaving the entire head, 
and wearing a wig of plaited black hair, which was partly 
visible beneath the voluminous folds of his turban. Also 
his face was closely shaven, for the Egyptians abhorred 
an unshaven face; but he followed the curious custom of 
fastening a false beard in the place of the natural growth, 
which was trimmed according to his rank, — none but 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


IIT 


kings, and the statues of the gods, being allowed a certain 
cut of beard. As he spoke, he toyed with a cane of 
Almug-wood, carved upon the head with a lotus blossom. 
The wood was glowing in color as a garnet, and hard of 
grain, and very costly, being mostly used in making 
musical instruments, and ornaments of rare value. 

‘^In truth, Eome is well rid of his royal presence,” 
boldly asserted Placidus. 

“ Beware ! ” exclaimed a Grecian youth, clad in the loose 
Greek chlamys adopted by Nero, much to the offence of 
the decorum of patriot Komans, who adhered to the long 
toga, and deemed this Grecian cloak effeminate and vulgar j 
perad venture these walls may hide some delator, spying 
treason against Caesar, that he may thereby line well his 
money -belt, by reporting such free-spoken criticisms of 
mighty Nero.” 

“And though a man be mum, that may not always save 
his head,” rejoined an Arab, lazily sunning himself in the 
open window, ^‘as we sons of Ishmael know too well, to 
our sorrow.” And his dark eyes gleamed with anger 
beneath his white turban, and his sun-bronzed cheek 
glowed with a more ruddy tint than even desert winds 
had implanted there ; and his long, yellow hands clutched 
the short sword sheathed in the folds of the scarlet sash, 
which held in place a voluminous white wool bournouse, 
which half concealed a yellow cotton tunic. He had 
brought to Eome a cargo of gums and spices from Arabia. 

‘‘Thou mayest well be wary of Nero’s smiles,” quoth a 
Hindoo diamond-merchant from far India. “ He stretches 
his hands even to our sacred Indus, and grasps our milky 
pearls and costly ivory to make resplendent his Golden 
House, and clothes his spotted skin in our silken fabrics, 
hoping thereby to conceal his puny ugliness.” And the 


118 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


lithe Hindoo drew up his graceful form in proud disdain, 
as he toyed with a magnificent gem upon his tapering 
finger, and then stroked with complacency his long white 
beard, knowing full well how picturesque he appeared in 
his robe of scarlet silk, and turban of cloth of gold. His 
white tunic was shorter than that worn by Aziel, and full 
trousers were visible beneath it, while his feet were covered 
with yellow pointed-toed slippers. 

^^Methinks Nero’s ears must tingle,” laughed Aziel, who 
leaned in graceful pose against a column, and made a 
pleasing picture with his golden locks falling upon his 
bright blue talith, which had replaced his silken robe of 
Tyrian purple, interdicted by Nero’s command in Eome, 
but which he wore in J erusalem , as becoming to his rank. 
And, in truth, amongst those swarthy men, with eyes and 
brows dark with sullen frowns and desert winds, Aziel, 
with his violet eyes and locks of gold, appeared indeed 
fair and ruddy of countenance, as Solomon of old. 

Just then there entered a Eoman youth, clad in a white 
woollen tunic, bordered with red, while a scarlet lacerna 
was thrown carelessly over one shoulder, and who showed 
much excitement, as he exclaimed, — 

‘‘What ho! do ye know the news? Petronius at last is 
sacrificed to the jealousy of Tigellinus.” 

“Art thou sure?” cried the Greek. 

“Would I were not,” sorrowfully continued the Eoman 
youth. “But can one’s own eyes deceive when he is forced 
to witness the death of his dearest friend?” 

“Wert thou there?” questioned Placidus, looking every 
inch a Eoman soldier in his golden armor, shining helmet, 
and scarlet military toga. “Give us the details of the 
direful news with greater plainness. We can ill spare 
Petronius from our Eoman feasts, for though he fawned 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


119 


on Caesar, which I liked not, he still was keen of wit, and 
often did hurl some bantering jest e’en at the royal head, 
which well I liked.” 

^^Thus it came to pass,” responded the Eoman youth; 
^^and ere I am done my sad recital, I wot that thou, soldier 
as thou art, must perforce acknowledge that Petronius died 
no coward, but as became a Eoman knight of patrician 
rank. Thou knowest Nero is in Campania, and Tigellinus, 
the rival of Petronius for the favor of Caesar, was with the 
Emperor, and therefore had his ear, and being craftier 
than our delightful Petronius, took this time to accuse his 
rival of an intimacy with the traitor Scaevinus, having 
suborned a slave to depose against him, and, moreover, 
deprived Petronius by an adroit trick of the means of 
defence. For Petronius, when accused, started straight- 
way for Campania, that there he might plead his innocence; 
but, through the connivance of Tigellinus, was detained at 
Cumae. I, with four other friends of Petronius, had 
accompanied him thither. He thereupon summoned us 
to his presence , and declared that he would anticipate trial 
and sentence by suicide, for none accused have escaped 
Nero’s brutal cruelty; and Petronius declared he would 
not give his former royal friend, now the perfidious Caesar, 
the satisfaction of sentencing him to death.” 

like that spirit well,” cried Placidus. ^Hf a Eoman 
cannot die honorably on the battle-field, or peacefully in 
his bed, he need not die ignobly at the command of a cruel 
tyrant.” 

agree not with thee there,” said Aziel. Whosoever 
killeth himself is a murderer, and that is forbidden by our 
law.” 

“Forsooth, Aziel, Eoman honor is not according to 
Jewish law or custom, I admit, but Eoman belief mostly 
agrees with Pliny, when he says : — 


120 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


There is nothing certain, save that nothing is certain; 
and there is no more wretched and yet arrogant being than 
man. The best thing which has been given to man amid 
the many torments of this life is, that he can take his own 
life. ’ Or, as Sophocles says : — 

** ‘ Happiest beyond compare 
Never to taste of life ; 

Happiest in order next, 

Being born, Avith quickest speed 
Thither again to turn 
From whence we came.' " 

‘^But let US know how Petronius died,” persisted the 
Arab. “We Arabs also believe in never submitting to a 
tyrant. A dagger-thrust and a grave in the desert is our 
recourse when our steeds, swift as the wind, can carry us 
no farther in a flight for life.” 

I have already recounted how Petronius summoned us 
to his side,” resumed the Eoman youth; ‘^and then in our 
presence he bravely opened his veins, preparing to bleed 
to death. And, that he might display his courage and 
disdain of Nero’s sentence, he spake with us in lively 
manner, now binding up his veins, if the talk became of 
interest, then opening them again, if wit and jest lan- 
guished. He even improvised verses with his usual apt- 
ness, and smiled when we grew sad ; then called his slaves, 
and gave them presents ; and, to enliven our spirits, caused 
some to receive punishment for trifling faults, thus playing 
the Caesar for our amusement.” 

“Forsooth, that was a sorry amusement,” ejaculated 
Aziel. 

“It was, in truth,” continued the young man; “but 
Eoman youths affect Epicureanism while in life, and 
Stoicism in death. Over our sepulchres are inscribed: 
‘To eternal sleep.’ ‘I was not, and became; I was, and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


121 


am no more.^ ^ We all, whom death has laid low, are 
decaying bones and ashes, nothing else/ was nought, 
and am nought. Thou who readest this, eat, drink, make 
merry, come. ’ 

''The Eomans are, then, worse than the Egyptians,” 
protested the Alexandrian corn-merchant. "We believe 
in immortality, and therefore build famous pyramids, and 
embalm the bodies of our dead, that they may bide the 
time of awakening.” 

"Surely, the Gospel of the Nazarene is indeed needed 
in Eome ! ” exclaimed Aziel, shocked at such hopeless 
doctrines. 

"How ended Petronius? ” inquired the Hindoo. "Bud- 
dha would have taught him better than that.” 

"He then called for his will,” resumed the Eoman 
youth, "and instead of bequeathing his estates to Nero, 
as so many do, hoping thereby to gain pardon for them- 
selves, or freedom from persecution for their families, 
Petronius wrote a codicil, with an indignant recital of the 
cruelties of Nero and his myrmidons, then signed, sealed, 
and transmitted the document to the tyrant. He then 
broke his signet, that it might never be again used to 
bring the guiltless into peril, and he dashed in pieces a 
costly vase of the much prized Murrha, to deprive Nero of 
a relic which he knew he greatly coveted. Petronius 
then partook of his last meal with his usual grace, amid 
luxurious environments, and then composed himself to 
sleep, that his death might have the semblance of a natural 
end. The end was speedy. Thus perished Petronius, the 
former Arbiter of the Imperial Pleasures ! ” 

" But according to Eoman custom, Csesar may still inflict 
posthumous infamy, termed Damnatio Memorice, upon his 
memory,” remarked the Greek ; "for thus is the law if 


122 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the accused commit suicide before the execution of the 
sentence.” 

It were a sad end indeed, ” murmured an aged Koman 
senator, who had heretofore been silent, sitting with bowed 
head, wrapped in a white toga, the broad purple border of 
which, together with his black sandals adorned with silver 
crescents, attested his senatorial rank. ^‘But these aged 
eyes have beheld more harrowing sights. What think 
ye?” he continued, with growing excitement, throwing 
aside his toga, and standing tall and stately in his white 
woollen tunica, purple-striped, as became his order, which 
purple was not the shade of the tint reserved for Caesar. 
“What think ye,” he again cried, clasping his thin hands 
tightly together, “ if ye had been forced to stand by and 
see an only son and daughter bound to the stake in I^ero’s 
circus gardens on that direful August night, and behold 
them burning in horrible tortures before your very eyes, 
and you helpless to move hand or foot for their deliver- 
ance? Such was my awful fate,” he exclaimed, his face 
writhing with agony at the remembered spectacle of revolt- 
ing anguish. “My son and daughter had avowed their 
Christian faith, and when the infamous Nero accused the 
Christians of the crime of firing Eome, my cherished 
children were seized, because spies had reported their 
presence at the places of Christian worship in the Cata- 
combs; and my only son, a young man of thirty, already 
bearing his senatorial honors with dignity and great 
promise, and my daughter, beautiful as a goddess, pure 
as a lily, docile as a dove, tender as a violet, was dragged 
forth with her brother from the Catacombs, where they 
had gone to worship, and were bound and carried to those 
circus gardens, where I, not knowing of their sad fate, 
but obliged, by my office, to attend the Emperor, iirst 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


123 


beheld them, after they were wrapped in pitchy winding- 
sheets and tied to stakes, were lighted as human torches, to 
delight the diabolical brutality of that monster. Are ye 
not amazed that I lived, and kept my reason?’^ he cried, 
with hot tears streaming down his cheeks. would have 
caught the instigator of this blood-curdling spectacle, and 
torn him limb from limb, even there in his own gardens. 
I was rushing towards the chariot, where the monster sat 
and smiled^ — nay laughed with demon leer at all this woe I 
— would have jumped upon him, as I would have fought a 
wild beast, bare though my hands were of weapon; but 
what stayed me? Listen! and then say if the power of 
this Christian faith is not wonderful, amazing, past all 
comprehending, save that it be direct from the Almighty 
God Himself, — a God greater than Jupiter, more powerful 
than legions of Eoman hosts. I was just springing upon 
the tyrant, when lo! my son, tied there to a burning stake, 
the flames then reaching his noble head, seeing my intent, 
called aloud to me. Instantly I was beside him, and he 
murmured through the rising fire, with half-smothered 
breath, — 

‘ My father, avenge not our deaths ! We perish because 
we would not renounce our faith in Jesus the Christ. 
Mourn not for us; to-day we shall be with Him in 
Paradise ! ’ 

‘‘He ceased. The fire had done its awful work; and as 
I turned with wild frenzy towards my idolized daughter, 
bound also to a burning stake, she lifted her lovely head 
and smiled, then looked toward heaven, and closed her 
dove-like eyes, and still smiled, as the tongues of fire 
caught her luxuriant locks ; and while the flame-halo shone 
round her angel face, looked once more with love upon me. 
Then the horrid, red, writhing mass of fire enveloped her. 


124 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


and I fell senseless and raving upon the ground, and was 
borne by my servants from that dreadful spot.’^ 

cried Aziel, running to the side of the old 
Koman noble, and clasping his trembling hands with sym- 
pathetic fervor, “my God!” he continued, ^^and Nero yet 
lives I ” 

‘‘Yea, Nero lives!” gasped the weeping father; “but 
the Almighty God will yet be my avenger. I have read 
my children's Gospel; I have learned of the Christ, and, 
if needs be, I am ready for my turn at the stake, or for my 
last wrestle with the wild beasts with which Nero delights 
himself, by feeding them with Christian flesh.” And the 
grand old senator wrapj)ed his toga about his tearful face, 
and slowly retired from the apartment. In the next per- 
secution of the Christians, he, too, was torn in pieces by 
famished beasts in the amphitheatre, and his believing 
soul joined his martyred children in Paradise. 

As the senator withdrew, Placidus exclaimed, — 

“ A thousand curses on that monster, Nero ! Forsooth, 
Koman as I am, I long to turn my sword against the 
tyrant ! ” 

“ Hist, man ! ” cried the Koman youth. I agree with 
thee ; but though Nero be in Campania, there are spies at 
Kome, and unless one could redden his sword in the 
tyranPs blood, it were not worth while to lose one's head 
for useless curses.” 

“ It is well said, young Koman,” interjected the Egyp- 
tian; “and as curses will avail nothing, I would meanwhile 
ask the Jew certain questions pertaining to his faith, for I 
perceive that he is not only a Jew, but a Christian, which 
is verily a stranger combination than a Gentile believer. 
For if I mistake not, the Jews persecute the Christians 
with almost the ferocity of Nero. Why thinkest thou, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


125 


young man/’ lie continued, “that thy Jehovah, or indeed 
this Christ, was more a God than Ammon-Ea, or our great 
Osiris, god of the sun? ” 

know not all the legends of thy gods,” replied 
Aziel; “but this I know, — the Jehovah-Eeligion is the 
only true religion of the world, and is the oldest of all 
religions.” 

“How makest thou that fact plain?” rejoined the 
Egyptian ; “ Ammon is called ^ The King of gods ,’ ‘ the 
Eldest of the gods.’” 

“I would briefly explain the Jehovah-Eeligion thus,” 
replied Aziel: — 

“At the time of man’s creation, God, called in the 
Hebrew tongue Elohim, revealed Himself to man by direct 
communication. This revelation may be termed Elohim- 
Beligion. Through all the wickedness and idolatry of the 
descendants of Adam, traces of this Elohim-Eeligion re- 
mained, as we see by Noah, of whom it is recorded, ‘ Noah 
found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ And with Noah, 
again God held more direct communication. After the 
deluge, when the descendants of Noah were scattered, 
the Egyptian dynasty of the Pharoahs, commencing with 
Mizraim, the son of Ham; the Chinese Empire, being 
founded by Eohi, supposed to be the Noah of the Bible; 
the Babylonians, originating in Belus, supposed to be 
Nimrod, the grandson of Ham; and the Assyrians, being 
descendants from Asshur, the son of Shem , — these oldest 
nations of the world, through Noah and his sons and 
grandsons, were possessed of traditions of the Elohim- 
Eeligion, which accounts for the golden gleams of truth 
shining here and there through all the darkness of their 
false and idolatrous beliefs, and also for the traditions of 
the deluge, which are found in all these heathen religions. 


126 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘Now again, in the history of the world, God more 
directly communicated with mankind in the calling of 
Abraham, whose family was a branch of the descendants 
of Shem; and from Abraham rose the Jewish nation. In 
the calling of Moses, God declared Himself to be Jehovah; 
‘ And God said unto Moses, I am that I am, — the 
Jehovah!^ 

“ Thus the Elohim-Heligion was the forerunner of the 
Jehovah-Eeligion, afterwards the Jewish Eeligion, and the 
Jewish Eeligion was the forerunner of Christianity proper, 
for it was the continued revelation of God to man. 

“ ‘ Christianity was not a patch or amendment upon 
Judaism,^ continued Aziel, ‘“ though it is no new religion 
from a new God ; but it is a new system of religious teach- 
ing, based upon a New Covenant made between God and 
man by Christ the Mediator, whose blood sealed that new 
covenant and made it operative.’ ” 

“And why may not our Buddha, whom we worship, be 
as much a god as your Christ?” interposed the Hindoo. 

“Buddhism was never heard of,” replied Aziel, “until 
about six hundred years before Christ, when, as you know, 
it was originated by a prince in Central India. Mean- 
while the Jews had been taken captive again and again: 
by the Egyptians 1729 b. c., by the Assyrians, 721 b. c., 
by the Babylonians, 693 b. c. With the Jews went their 
religion into all these countries. At the date 693 b. c., 
the Jews were possessed of the books of the Old Testa- 
ment, down to Nahum. They thus had the Torah, or 
books of Moses, the Psalms of David, and many of the 
prophets, including Isaiah; and thus the prophecies regard- 
ing a coming Messiah were well known to them, so that 
it is not unlikely that the idea of Buddha originated in 
the prophecies of a coming Christ. More than that, your 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


127 


Buddha never claimed to be a god; it is only his followers 
who have deified him, and all descriptions of Buddha fall 
so far short of the marvellous accounts of this Jesus Christ, 
that there is no comparison between Buddha, lovely as he 
is represented as a human being, and this matchless life of 
Jesus of Nazareth, the Divine Christ, who also declared 
Himself to be the Divine Son of Jehovah, and challenged 
the world to refute His claims to perfect holiness, and 
proved His Divinity by His miraculous Kesurrection, of 
the truth of which marvellous fact many are still living 
who were witnesses of that wonderful event. I have just 
found in Corinth a copy of the Epistles of Paul to the 
Corinthians, in which he declares as truth the stupendous 
fact of the Kesurrection of Christ, and challenges living 
witnesses to deny, if they can, this event which took place 
before their own eyes.’’ 

“How dost thou explain,” asked the Egyptian, “if this 
Christ actually performed such a mighty miracle as this 
Kesurrection thou speakest of, that such a marvellous fact 
should have apparently made so little stir in the world?” 

“I conjecture,” rejoined Aziel, “that one great reason 
of this surprising apathy, in view of such an astonishing 
fact, is because all the pagan beliefs are made up of a 
collection of impossible myths and legends, in which your 
deities are represented in connection with such fabulous 
tales, that this stupendous, simple fact of the Kesurrection 
fails to excite your wonder. And the Jews reject it 
because they are not willing to acknowledge the Messiah- 
ship of One whose kingdom is not of earth, but in the 
domain of spirit; and the reason why Christians do not 
continually reiterate the truth of this miracle, is because 
it is to them as evident a fact as that Nero sits upon the 
throne of Kome, for those are still living who were wit- 


128 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


nesses of the event, and they do not rise in vindication of 
the truth of what they feel is as well authenticated as is 
the fact of Nero’s burning of the Christians.” 

^‘And from what my father said, who was the Eoman 
Centurion at the Cross on Calvary,” exclaimed Placidus, 
“I conjecture none of those living witnesses will dare deny 
the evidence of their own senses.” 

‘‘Art thou turning Christian, also?” asked the Arab. 

“ Peradventure, ” replied Placidus. 

“I would ask the Jew,” continued the Arab, “if he has 
heard aught of those people he mentioned as the Chinese ; 
for in my wanderings I have heard strange rumors of a 
mighty people dwelling in central Asia, who keep them- 
selves aloof from the world, only disposing of a certain 
amount of raw silk to other countries, since it was by 
accident made known that they were the discoverers of 
the valuable products of the silk-worm. I hear also that 
they worship one Confucius ; but whether he be a god or 
not is vague to me.” 

“The Jews, who are widely scattered over the earth,” 
replied Aziel, “have traces of this nation, who are said 
to have been first known to history about one hundred and 
twenty-nine years before Christ. The Chinese aided the 
Scythians, and ravaged the coasts of the Caspian; and 
fifteen years before Christ it is said the religion of Laot-se 
began among the Chinese ; but both Confucius and Laot-se 
were only philosophers, and did not claim to be gods, and 
were only deified by their followers. This Jesus, the 
Christ, is the only man in history who has ever claimed to 
be Divine.” 

“ I believe thou art right there, ” interposed the G reek ; 
“none of our heroes claimed to be divine, though our 
legends gave some of them descent from the Olympian 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


129 


deities; but ye Jews claim perfection for thy Jehovah, 
whereas we Greeks acknowledge that even Zeus is not 
exempt from foibles like ourselves. When it comes to 
a claim of absolute perfection, I am free to admit thy 
Jehovah stands alone on that ground.” 

“But we initiated among the Egyptians,” said the 
Alexandrian, “claim also but one god, and declare that 
these lesser deities, worshipped in Egypt by the masses, 
are but different forms or attributes under which this one 
god manifests himself. Where the initiated, who are 
instructed in the highest mysteries of religion, hold a lofty 
and abstract idea pertaining to the Deity, the uneducated 
people substitute a gross material form of religion, descend- 
ing to idolatry.” 

‘We then worship not idols?” interjected Aziel. “I 
had thought the Egyptians were all idol-worshippers.” 

“And thou art right, regarding the mass of the Egyp- 
tians ; but the Egyptian religion has two phases, — one, 
that in which it is presented to the vast mass of the popu- 
lation, the other, that aspect which it bears in the minds 
of the learned and the initiated. To the populace it is a 
Polytheism of a multitudinous, and, in many respects, of a 
gross character; to the initiated, it is a strict Monotheism, 
with a metaphysical speculative philosophy on the two 
great subjects, — the nature of God and the destiny of 
man.” 

“ But nowhere are the forms of idol-worship more gross 
than in Egypt,” said the Greek. 

“I acknowledge that is so among the masses,” confessed 
the Egyptian. 

Turning to Aziel, the Greek remarked , — 

“But your Christ was not the first to enunciate the 
Golden Kule. In the writings of Confucius, and in the 

,9 


130 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


sacred books of Buddha, are to be found formulae very 
similar to what ye call the Gospel Golden Kule.” 

dispute not that fact,” replied Aziel; ‘‘but the stu- 
pendous difference lies in this: Confucius and Buddha, 
while inculcating the brotherly love which is the essence 
of the Golden Kule, imparted no spiritual power to their 
followers to enable them to so overcome human selfishness 
as to obey the command given; whereas Christ not only 
proclaims the command, but at the same time imparts to 
man’s spiritual nature a distinct and divine power, which 
transforms the minds of men from self love to brotherly 
love. The followers of the Christ ‘ by nature have wills 
as stubborn as the rest of the froward sons of Adam; but 
Avhen the day of Christ’s power comes to them, and grace 
displays its omnipotence, they become willing to repent 
and believe in J esus the Christ, ^^one are saved unwill- 
ingly, but the will is made sweetly to yield itself. What 
a wondrous power is this which never violates man’s free 
will, and yet rules it! God does not break the lock, but He 
opens it by a master key, which He alone can handle.’ ” 

“Have ye as many gods in Egypt as we Komans have?” 
asked Placidus of the Alexandrian; “as we import the gods 
of every conquered nation to Eome, we are well supplied, 
and if numbers of deities insure greater prosperity, we are 
of all nations most secure.” 

“Egypt counts her gods by scores,” answered the 
Egyptian. 

“What are the thoughts of the Egyptians concerning 
evil?” inquired Aziel. 

“One account is, that Set, the original spirit of evil, 
was always present with Osiris, the spirit of good, but that 
after a time the spirit of good overcame the spirit of evil, 
and Set was banished from his place by Osiris. In this 


131 


X 

THE DOOM OF THE HOL^T CITY. 

connection it was not a personality of evil, bait the abstract 
idea of evil, which must necessarily accompany- the idea 
of good, as our idea of darkness is connected with Jight. 
The personal spirit of evil is represented by Apophis, thte 
great serpent, and serves to personify sin.’’ 

have heard it said,” rejoined Aziel, “that in the 
prayers of the Egyptians, as they have been recorded, 
there is the absence of any confession of sin on the part 
of the suppliant ; but his prayers are mostly boastful asser- 
tions of his good deeds and many excellencies, whereas 
our Psalms are many of them petitions for forgiveness for 
transgressions, and Paul declares that all men ‘ have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God. ’ ” 

“ As we hold that most of our deities have like passions 
with ourselves,” interposed the Greek, “I suppose men 
pride themselves upon being as good as their gods, if they 
may not be so powerful. I have studied that remarkable 
scroll, the ‘ Egyptian Book of the Dead, ’ and have been 
much interested in the ideas there recorded.” 

“And our hymns to Ammon-Ea are equally impressive,” 
assented the Alexandrian. 

“I now see,” rejoined Aziel, “more clearly the difficulties 
Moses had to encounter in his endeavors to instil into the 
minds of the Jewish people the simple and holy truths 
concerning Jehovah, the One Everlasting God, who for-, 
bade all kinds of idol-worship. When the J e ws had become 
contaminated with idolatry, through their long bondage in 
Egypt, the one thread of truth which I discover among 
these tangled threads of error, and which gives me a new 
glimpse of God’s providence in that age of religious dark- 
ness, is the idea of One God, above all gods. Not even 
the black darkness of superstition and idolatry could 
entirely obliterate the light revealed to man by Jehovah, 


132 


THE. DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


but it has co^uinued to shine into the hearts of even those 
misguided-^souls, who, blinded by ignorance and sin, have 
failed’ to catch a glimpse of His Holy Nature, and have 
pitifully substituted for His all- wise love, and attributes 
of perfection and power, their own poor conceptions of 
His great and Infinite Being.” 

‘‘Methinks thou art very liberal in thy opinions for a 
Jew,” averred Placidus. ‘‘Thy nation does not usually 
admit that any Gentiles, or barbarians, as they term them, 
can, forsooth, be worth the saving of their Jehovah, who 
has made the Jews His chosen people, and reserved salva- 
tion for the descendants of Abraham alone.” 

“Thou art not far wrong there, my friend, concerning the 
belief of the self-satisfied and hypocritical Pharisee, whose 
religion consists mainly in the breadth of the tephilliw., 
or phylacteries, bound upon their foreheads, or the length 
of the or fringes upon the four corners of their 

robes,” confessed Aziel. “But many of the Jews are not 
thus blinded; and those who have faith in the Christ, must 
acknowledge that God is no respector of persons, but 
desires that all men should come unto Him, and be saved. 

I would answer the Egyptian,” he continued, “as Paul 
said to the Athenians: — 

“ ‘ For as I passed by and beheld your devotion, I found 
an altar with this inscription: To the unknown God, 
Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship. Him declare I 
unto you. 

“‘God that made the world and all things therein, 
seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not 
in temples made with hands : 

“‘Neither is worshipped with men^s hands, as though 
He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and 
breath, and all things: 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


133 


^ And hath made of one blood all nations of men for 
to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined 
the times before appointed, and the bounds of their 
habitation : that they should seek the Lord, if haply they 
might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not 
far from every one of us: 

‘ For in Him we live and move and have our being : as 
certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also 
his offspring. 

‘ Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God , we 
ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or 
silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 

“ ‘ And the times of this ignorance God winked at: but 
now commandeth all men everywhere to repent : 

‘ Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He 
will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom 
He hath ordained : whereof He hath given assurance unto 
all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.’ ” 

“Where dost thou find those words of Paul?” asked 
Placidus, with interest, being struck with their wonderful 
force as applied to the remarks of the Egyptian. 

“They are in the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke 
about three years ago, here in Home; probably during 
Paul’s first imprisonment here, when Luke was with him. 
I obtained the scroll from thy mother a few days ago, and 
have been deeply impressed by the wonderful account 
there given of the missionary journeys of Paul and Peter.” 

“I have often wondered,” remarked Placidus, ‘'why 
Christ did not answer that question of Pilate : ^ What is 
Truth? ’ ” 

“In times past I, too, questioned thus,” rejoined Aziel; 
“but deeper reflection con\rinces me that Christ did answer 
Pilate most fully. He stood before Pilate as the most 


134 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


perfect manifestation of Truth which has, or ever will 
be, vouchsafed to mortal vision ; He was the visible mani- 
festation of Truth, not only to the soul or spirit of man, 
but to man’s material vision, as manifested in the flesh. 
Truth is spiritual; it is divine. Truth is the manifestation 
of God. All of Truth has never been known to man ; all 
of truth may never be known, even throughout eternity, 
to the spirit of man. God, and Christ His Son, who 
was the visible manifestation of truth, alone know all 
truth.” 

^^How thinkest thou we can know of truth?” asked the 
Egyptian. 

“Through one method only,” replied Aziel, — “the 
Inspired Word of God, and the illumination of the Spirit 
of God within the spirit or soul of man. All other search 
is fruitless. We may obtain so-called earth-knowledge 
through other sources ; but Christ declared : ^ I am the 
Way, the Truth, and the Life. Search the Scriptures, 
for they are they which testify of Me ! ’ ” 

“Is more of truth known to the spirit of man in this 
age than in past ages?” inquired the Hindoo. 

“Yea, verily,” responded Aziel, in reverent tones; “else 
were the government of this world under a perfect God a 
failure, which is a supposition absurd, granting the good- 
ness, the perfection, and all-power of God. ‘ That which 
moveth God to work is goodness, and that which ordereth 
His work is wisdom ; and that which perfecteth His work 
is power. ’ ” 

“Dost thou think truth is progressive?” asked the 
Hindoo. 

“Hot in its essence,” answered Aziel, “which was com- 
plete from the beginning; but our apprehension of truth is 
progressive,” 


THE DOOM^ OF THE HOLY CITY. 135 

^‘Why has man^s search for truth so often proved un- 
availing?’^ rejoined the Hindoo. 

“ The mistake frequently made in the search for truth, 
is in the mistaken method of man’s devising,” replied 
Aziel. “Men search for truth in human opinions and 
traditions, and find themselves struggling in the sea of 
doubt. Truth cannot be limited by man’s idea of pro- 
gression; truth being all-perfect from the beginning, — 
co-existent with God, the fountain of all truth. Earth- 
language is of itself a limitation, not of truth, but a 
limitation of our clear apprehension of the truth. The 
difficulty with most men in searching after truth is, that 
the mind of man anchors itself upon some human opinion 
or tradition, and then endeavors to make his glimpse of 
truth fit that opinion, or the traditions of his forefathers ; 
and when, by the progression of the thought of the age, 
he is torn from his anchorage of human tradition, he finds 
himself sinking in the turbulent sea of false belief, 
fioundering between the rocks of agnosticism and blind 
credulity; clinging now to one as truth, now to the other, 
only to be cast back into the black waters of hopeless 
despair.” 

“ In such case it were better, peradventure, to cease this 
hopeless search,” rejoined the Egyptian. 

“Nay, nay!” responded Aziel, while the light of faith 
illumined his glowing face, and flashed in his blue eyes. 
“ If the soul of the searcher for truth is anchored upon the 
Kock of Jehovah’s Word,” he continued, “and God’s Holy 
Spirit enlightens his conscience, then, though he search 
here and there through human interpretations of Scripture 
declarations, seeking clearer apprehension of the truth, he 
shall not flounder in a sea of doubt, but shall have his 
conscience more and more illumined by the light of the 


136 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


Spirit of God, who will reveal to him more and more of 
truth, and will clarify his spiritual vision so that he shall 
more clearly discern the shrouding mists of error which 
human opinions and traditions have hung as a mask before 
the shining face of truth.” 

would converse with thee again upon this subject,” 
remarked the Egyptian to Aziel, as the hour of the mid-day 
siesta drew nigh, and the various groups in the different 
apartments of the Baths prepared to retire for the usual 
noon seclusion. 

“I would speak with thee farther regarding Petronius,” 
said Placidus, to the Eoman youth who had brought the 
news of the death of that Eoman favorite. ‘‘From the 
murmurs I hear in the legions of Eome, Nero will not go 
on much longer in his career of crime; the troops are 
already looking towards Galba with serious intentions 
regarding the downfall of Nero; but this is only whispered 
under one’s breath,” he added, warningly. 

Whereupon Placidus and Aziel departed for the villa on 
the Caelian Hill. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


137 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE VILLA ON THE C^LIAN HILL. — THE CATACOMBS OF 
ROME. — A PICTURE OF THE SOCIAL LIFE OF ROME. 

Placidus and Aziel, leaving the Thermae Agrippae, pro- 
ceeded to the Via Lata, of which the Via Plaminia is the 
continuation. 

^‘One of the most famous mausoleums of Rome,’’ re- 
marked Placidus, ^^is situated to the north of this spot, 
on the east bank of the Tiber, near the Via Plaminia. 
We can just catch a faint glimpse of it there in the dis- 
tance; it is the Mausoleum of Augustus, a lofty marble 
tower in the midst of three terraced slopes, covered with 
earth and planted with cypress-trees. This mausoleum 
was constructed in imitation of the Temple of Belus, 
in Babylon. The terraces are pierced with numerous 
chambers, rising story upon story, and destined to receive 
the remains of the Imperial family. The first to be 
interred there was Marcellus, son of Octavia, sister of 
Augustus. At the present time, there lie buried there 
the ashes of Agrippa, Octavia, Drusus, and Augustus 
Caesar, whose body was burnt a. d. 14, on a funeral pile 
so gigantic, that the weeping Livia and Roman senators 
were obliged to keep watch for five days and nights before 
the flames were so far extinguished as to enable them to 
obtain the sacred ashes. Germanicus, nephew of Tiberius, 
was interred there a. d. 19, and then followed Drusus, 
son of Tiberius, the Empress Livia, Agrippina, widow of 
Germanicus, and her two sons, then the Emperors Tiberius, 


138 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Caligula, and Claudius, and lastly, Britannicus, the son of 
Claudius, murdered by Nero, a. d. 55 ,’’ 

“It were a pity that Nero himself is not reduced 
to ashes and deposited there, for the peace of Koine,’’ said 
Aziel. 

“Thou art not far wrong in that,” rejoined Placidus; 
“but methinks his evil days are numbered. There are 
rumors of revolts in Gaul and Spain, and many murmurs 
nearer home, and Nero may well see ghosts at night, and 
fly from room to room in his grand palace, crying out that 
the furies are after him. There will be more ghosts than 
that of his murdered mother to torment his dreams. And 
if there is a Hades, where the spirits of the wicked shall 
suffer, verily, the lowest depths of fire await this infamous 
Nero; and he may there himself experience the exquisite 
sensations of being used as a burning torch for the illu- 
mination of the circus gardens of the devil.” 

The young men then moved round the northeastern 
side of the Capitoline Hill to the Forum; thence through 
the Via Sacra to the Via Appia, and reaching the Via 
Scauri, which crossed the Caelian Hill, they at length 
entered the luxurious gardens of the villa, the home of 
the family of Placidus. 

Here they found Myrtilla gathering roses; she greeted 
her brother and his friend with evident pleasure, and the 
three seated themselves for a time in the grateful shade of 
an orange grove. 

“Aziel tells me that he must start to-morrow for Jeru- 
salem,’’ remarked Placidus to his sister. As he noted 
the shade of regret which overshadowed her face at this 
announcement, he wondered how deep was the impression 
made by this Jewish friend on the youthful heart of his 
beloved Myrtilla. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


139 


mother will be sad at such news,” rejoined 
Myrtilla; then, turning to Aziel, she continued, ^^My 
mother and I keep ourselves so closely secluded in our 
own home, that the friends of my brother are doubly 
welcome, not only for his sake, but because of the 
delightful variety it lends to our lives; and especially 
when they are like thyself, fitted by education and travel 
to impart to us such instructive knowledge. ” 

“ I perceive that the fair Koman maids know also how 
to flatter our masculine vanity,” laughed Aziel, being well 
pleased the while to have seemingly gained the good 
wishes of this fair daughter of Italy, who, had Miriam 
been less fair, and Aziel more fickle, might have caused 
him to have left his heart there in Eome, when his steps 
were again turned towards Jerusalem. 

“Have you visited the Temple of Fortuna Muliebris 
since you have been in Rome?” inquired Myrtilla of 
Aziel. ^Ht is a deeply interesting spot,” she continued, 
“because connected with such an impressive historical 
incident.” 

“I have not had time to show that temple to Aziel,” 
interposed Placidus; “and, verily, I have taken him to so 
many temples already, that he will remember Rome as a 
confused mass of heathen fanes, I fear; though I do not 
wonder that ye women are particularly interested in that 
monument of woman’s power.” 

“Where is this Temple of Fortune situated?” asked 
Aziel of Myrtilla; “and what is its history?” he added, 
thinking that the recital would be all the more impressive 
falling from lips which combined the witchery of perfect 
curves with the more elevated attraction of a sensitive 
refinement. 

“The Temple of Fortuna Muliebris,” said Myrtilla, 


140 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


pleased to comply with his request, “is situated about 
three and a half miles from Rome, on the rising ground 
between the Claudian Aqueduct and the road leading to 
Albano, which village you can just discern in the dim dis- 
tance. This temple was built and dedicated to ‘ Woman’s 
Fortune ’ at the time when Coriolanus was encamped upon 
that site, with the army of the Yolscians, who had threat- 
ened to attack Rome. As Valeria, sister of Publicola, 
was sitting in the Temple of Jupiter as a suppliant before 
the shrine of that god, the story goes, Jupiter himself 
seemed to inspire her with a sudden thought. She there- 
upon rose, and called upon all the other noble Roman 
ladies who were in the temple to accompany her to the 
house of Veturia, the mother of Coriolanus. There they 
found Volumnia, the wife of Coriolanus, with his mother, 
and also his little children. Thereupon Valeria thus 
addressed Veturia and Volumnia, — 

“‘Our coming here to you is our own doing; neither 
the senate nor any mortal man has sent us ; but the god 
in whose temple we were sitting as suppliants, put it into 
our hearts that we should come and ask you to join us, 
women with wom^en, without any aid of man, to win for 
our country a great deliverance, and for ourselves a name, 
glorious above all women, even above those Sabine wives 
in the old time, who stopped the battle between their 
husbands and their fathers. Come, then, with us to the 
camp of Coriolanus, and let us pray to him to show us 
mercy. ’ 

“Veturia said: ‘ We will go with thee! ’ And Volumnia 
took her young children with her, and they all went to 
the camp of the enemy. 

“To see this train of noble Roman matrons was, in 
truth, a sad and solemn sight, as they wended their way 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


141 


out of the city towards the hostile camp. Even the 
Volscian soldiers stood in silence, and with reverent 
demeanor, as they passed by, and pitied and honored 
them. They found Coriolanus, as the general of the host, 
seated in the midst of the camp, with his Volscian chiefs 
standing around him, awaiting his commands. When 
Coriolanus recognized his mother walking at the head of 
this sorrowful train, he arose in haste from his seat, and 
ran to meet her, and would have kissed her. But she 
prevented his caress, saying, — 

Ere thou kiss me, let me know whether I am speak- 
ing to an enemy, or to my son; whether I stand in thy 
camp as thy prisoner, or thy mother? ^ 

‘‘ Coriolanus hesitating to answer this unlooked-for ques- 
tion, she continued, ^ Must it be, then, that had I never 
borne a son, Home would never have seen the camp of an 
enemy; that had I remained childless, I should have died 
a free woman in a free city? But I am too old to bear 
much longer either thy shame or my misery. Bather look 
to thy wife and children, whom, if thou persistest, thou 
art dooming to an untimely death, or to a life of bondage.’ 

‘‘Then Volumnia and his children came to him and 
kissed him, and all the Boman ladies wept and bemoaned 
their own fate, and the fate of their country. At last 
Coriolanus, unable longer to endure the sight of the tears 
of his wife and mother, cried out, — 

“‘0 mother! what hast thou done to me?’ and he 
clasped her hand, and said in a voice trembling with 
emotion, — 

“ ‘ Mother, thine is the victory ! A happy victory for 
thee and for Borne, but shame and ruin to thy son ! ’ 

“ Thereupon he fell on her neck and embraced her, and 
then embraced his wife and children, and sent them back 


142 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


to Eome; and he led away the army of the Volscians, and 
relinquished his sworn purpose of attacking Kome. 

^^For this heroic action the Eoman people honored 
Valeria and Yeturia, and begged them to choose what 
should be their reward for this noble deed. They there- 
upon asked that this temple should be erected upon the 
spot where Coriolanus had yielded to his mother’s prayers; 
and the first priestess of the temple was Valeria, into 
whose heart Jupiter had first put the inspiration which 
she so faithfully obeyed. The temple stands at the fourth 
milestone on the Via Latina, and was dedicated by the 
consul Proculus Virginius, 486 b. c. The service of the 
temple was to be performed by women newly married for 
the first time, and no one who had wedded a second 
husband was permitted to approach the statue of the 
goddess.” 

^‘That is indeed a pathetic and inspiring incident,” 
remarked Aziel, as Myrtilla finished her recital; and he 
thought how much higher it would rank among his 
memories connected with the Eternal City, when he re- 
called the low, sweet voice, and charming manner of the 
narrator. 

As the rays of the mid-day sun had now become very 
oppressive, Myrtilla rose to retire into the villa, whither 
Placidus and Aziel soon followed her, the maiden seeking 
her own apartments, while the young men threw them- 
selves upon the inviting couches in the porticoed nym- 
phaeum. Here they were lulled to their noon siesta by 
the music of the plashing fountain, and cooled by the 
swaying of large fans made from the gorgeous feathers of 
the peacock in the hands of attendant slaves; while the 
air was perfumed by the roses and violets growing in 
crystal vases between the ivy-twined columns of the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


143 


portico. As Aziel sank into a dreamy slumber, he beheld 
visions of two fair faces, both so lovely and fascinating, 
that his mind for a moment could not determine which 
had charmed him most, the daughter of Rome the Imperial, 
or the daughter of Jerusalem the Beautiful. 

That evening, as Aziel and Placidus, with Virgilia and 
Myrtilla, were partaking of the evening caena in the 
triclinium of the Caelian villa, Aziel remarked that there 
was one more place in Rome that he much desired to visit 
before his departure from the city. have much curi- 
osity to behold the Catacombs of Rome,’’ he continued, 
addressing himself to Virgilia, who occupied the seat of 
honor on the middle couch, which her son, as head of the 
household, was entitled to, but which he gracefully in- 
sisted should be occupied by his handsome and revered 
mother. 

Virgilia presided at the feast with patrician dignity, 
and appeared in dress and manner to adorn her station. 
Her robe to-night was Tyrian purple, which, in the seclu- 
sion of her own house, could not excite comment. Her 
gems were amethysts, set here and there with a rare 
emerald; while her sandals were of purple leather fastened 
with golden cords. Her luxuriant gray hair was partially 
concealed by a turban head-dress of cloth of silver, studded 
here and there with rubies. 

Myrtilla, seated next to her brother, and on the opposite 
couch to Aziel, was radiant in a tunic of pale pink, 
fastened with carved cameos of rose-colored coral. Her 
hair to-night was coifed in Roman fashion, upon which 
glistened a diamond star; her flowing robe, falling from 
the shoulder over a pink silk tunic, was of silver tissue, 
and her sandals of pink leather laced with silver cords. 
Her bare arms were clasped above the elbow with antique 


144 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


bracelets of gold, and on her slender wrists were similar 
gold bands, connected with the upper armlets by chains of 
gold. Over her black coifed hair she wore a caul, or 
network, of strings of pearl, caught here and there by pink 
coral beads. The caul was fringed with pearls and silver, 
and fell low upon her broad white forehead in a crescent 
of small diamonds mingled with pearls and rubies. 

These rich costumes were not donned by either Virgilia 
or Myrtilla as evidences of ostentatious display, but were 
worn with a quiet refinement and modesty, that bespoke 
their familiarity with an attire becoming their station; 
and with that attention to details, which showed the 
deference they paid to the presence of the son and brother, 
rather than from a desire to shine in the presence of a 
stranger. And Aziel felt that his presence had not occa- 
sioned this becoming appearance of these lovely women, 
but that such was their daily custom, when honored with 
the society of a son and brother. 

“Thy desire may be granted this very eve,” replied 
Virgilia, in answer to the expressed wish of Aziel. 
“ Myrtilla and I had arranged to be escorted to the 
Catacombs by our trusty freedmen, with a sufficient 
retinue of slaves to insure our safety; and if Placidus 
and thou wilt join our party, it will please us much. I 
have received news that a copy of the Gospel written by 
Mark has been obtained by our Christian Church at Home, 
and I am impatient to hear further regarding the marvel- 
lous life of the Christ, as described by one who was a 
disciple of Jesus of ISTazareth, like Matthew, or intimate 
associates of Paul and Peter, like Luke and Mark.” 

“ Knowest thou who this Mark is ? ” inquired Placidus. 
“Luke I met in Jerusalem, when he came there with the 
Apostle Paul, having passed through Miletus, Tyre, and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


145 


Caesarea, as the companion of Paul, on his third missionary 
tour 5 but of Mark I know little.’’ 

“I knew well the family of Mark in Jerusalem,” replied 
Aziel. “He was the son of a certain Mary, a Jewish 
matron known to my mother, and was probably descended 
from a Hellenistic family, as he was the cousin of Barnabas 
of Cyprus, the great friend of Paul. The mother of Mark, 
whose Jewish name was John, or Johanan, meaning the 
‘ Grace of God, ’ and whose Latin surname was Marcus, 
called Mark in the ‘ Acts,’ was intimately acquainted with 
Peter, and it was to her house that the apostle repaired 
after his miraculous deliverance from prison by the angel. 
Mark was converted, and he was at Paul’s side during the 
imprisonment of that apostle here in Eome, about three 
years ago. After that Mark was with Peter at Babylon, 
and from rumors I imagine he is now again on his way 
to Eome to join Peter and Paul, who now languish in the 
Mamertine prison. And Hero’s former treatment of the 
Christians raises grave fears that both Peter and Paul will 
ere long suffer martyrdom at the hands of that infamous 
Caesar.” 

Shortly after this conversation in the triclinium, the 
party started for the Catacombs. 

That we may more clearly picture to our minds the 
Catacombs of Eome, the following description of them 
may be of interest. 

The Catacombs are a vast labyrinth of galleries exca- 
vated in the hills round the Eternal City, beyond the 
walls. These galleries are often constructed on various 
levels, or piani, which cross and recross one another. 
Thus the space of ground occupied by the Catacombs is 
not large, but so numerous are the galleries, that there are 
not less than three hundred and fifty miles of them. The 


10 


146 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


galleries are from two to four feet in width, varying in 
height. The walls on both sides are pierced with niches, 
like shelves, each one containing one or more dead bodies. 
These vast excavations form the Christian cemeteries of 
Home; they were begun in Apostolic times, and continued 
as burial-places by the Christians, until the capture of the 
city by Alaric in the year 410. 

Originally the Catacombs belonged to private Christian 
families, who dug them in the gardens of their villas. 
‘‘Among them were Lucina, who lived in the days of the 
Apostles, Priscilla, another contemporary, Plavia Domitilla, 
niece of Vespasian, Commodilla, whose property lay on 
the Via Ostiensis, Ciriaca, on the Via Tibertina, Pretex- 
tates, on the Via Appia, Pontiano, on the Via Portuensis, 
and the Jordani, Maximus, and Thraso, all on the Via 
Salaria Nova. Some of the martyrs buried in the Cata- 
combs were SS. Hermes, Basilla, Protus, and Hyacinthus, 
on the Via Salaria Vetus.” 

The Catacombs were also used by Christians as places 
for religious worship. “These burial-places were called 
Hypogceum, a subterranean place, or Ccemeteriumy a sleep- 
ing-place, a new name of Christian origin ; sometimes 
also, Martyrium, or Confessio (its Latin equivalent), to 
signify the burial-place of martyrs, or confessors of the 
faith. An ordinary grave was called locus, or loculus, if 
it contained a single body, or hisomum, trisomum, or 
quadvisomum, if two, three, or four. The graves were 
dug by fossores, and burial in them was called depositio. 
The chambers were called cuhicula. Some of the tombs 
were of a more elaborate kind, having a long oblong 
chdsse, like a sarcophagus, either hollowed in the rock, 
or built up of masonry, and closed by a heavy slab of 
marble lying horizontally on the top. The niche over 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 147 

tombs of this kind was generally vaulted in a semi-circular 
form, whence they were called arcosolia. Such tombs 
of the martyrs were used on the anniversaries of their 
death, as altars whereon the holy mysteries, or sacred 
sacraments, were celebrated. While some of the cubicula 
were only family vaults, others were chapels, or places of 
public assembly. The private vaults were often large 
enough to contain the family assembled for these solemn 
rites, and sometimes several cubicula were made close 
together, all receiving air and light through a centre shaft, 
so that a hundred persons might be collected in parts of 
the Catacombs to assist in public worship. In the very 
walls of Catacombs may still be seen episcopal chairs, 
and chairs for the presiding deacons, and benches for the 
faithful, having formed part of the original plan when the 
chambers were hewn out of the rock.’’ 

The Christians were anxious not to burn their dead, but 
to bury them in these rock-hewn tombs, and the bodies were 
wrapped in fine linen cloths, together with precious spices, 
remains of which have been found in the Catacombs. It is 
supposed that this was a Christian custom in imitation of 
the burial of Jesus in the Tomb of Joseph. 

And now we will return to Placidus and his party, on 
that summer’s night in Home, 66 a. n. 

As the Catacombs to which this company was bound 
were on the Via Portuensis, situated on the further bank 
of the Tiber, their excursion was partly by land and partly 
by water. 

Virgilia and Myrtilla, being placed in litters borne by 
slaves, were attended for safety by bands of faithful 
freedmen, who held the offices of secretaries and stewards 
in the family; Placidus and Aziel accompanied them on 
foot, walking by the open side of the palanquins, that 


148 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


they might converse with the ladies, and render them any 
needful assistance. 

Having passed through the Via Scauri, which connected 
the Caelian Hill with the Via Appia, the party proceeded 
along the Appian Way, around the eastern side of the 
Palatine Hill to the Via Sacra. 

Here their onward progress was impeded for a few 
moments by a funeral procession, wending its way out 
towards the Via Flaminia, to the burial-ground without 
the walls of the city. Among the rich a funeral in K-ome, 
either by day or night, was an imposing scene. The 
citizen now being borne to the funeral pile was a Roman 
senator, and the display was in accordance with the posi- 
tion of the deceased. 

As the palanquins containing Virgilia and Myrtilla were 
carried a little to one side of the road, to give space for 
the passing mourners, Aziel stood by the side of the litter 
of Myrtilla, an interested spectator of this sight, novel to 
a stranger in Rome. 

I perceive by the broad stripe of purple on the bier of 
the dead, and by his toga picta, that the deceased was of 
high rank,” remarked Myrtilla; ‘^and by the number of 
slaves walking near the corpse, wearing their newly- 
donned caps of liberty, that the dead man was not only 
rich, but merciful.” 

“Are the slaves of a Roman emancipated after the death 
of the master? ” inquired Aziel. 

^‘Ho,” replied Myrtilla; “on the contrary, all his slaves 
are put to death if 'the master has been murdered by one 
of them ; but by his will, a Roman often frees a number of 
his slaves, sometimes as an act of mercy, but frequently, 

I am sorry to say, as an act of ostentation, that thereby 
there may be a large number of attendants at his funeral.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


149 


notice the Romans have hired mourners, as is cus- 
tomary among the Jews,” said Aziel, observing the wailing 
women uttering lamentations around the bier. 

“ And you perceive those three mutes , with dishevelled 
hair, smiting upon their breasts in token of grief,” rejoined 
Myrtilla; ^Hhose, with the wailing women, are slaves of 
the undertaker, and have kept watch by the corpse during 
the time which has elapsed between the death and burial.” 

Have you outward signs to mark the house where one 
lies dead? ” asked Aziel. 

“ A branch of cypress is always hung over the door, to 
indicate a house of mourning,” answered Myrtilla, ‘4est 
any priest should incur defilement by entering it.” 

The procession now being close at hand, Aziel noted its 
especial features. First came a band of flute-players, 
whose piping broke the stillness of the evening with noisy 
shrillness; then walked the female hired mourners, who 
were followed by a company of mimes and dancers, the 
leader of which was attired in such manner as to imitate 
the deceased. 

^‘Are not those comic actors a strange incongruity in a 
funeral procession?” inquired Aziel. 

^‘They so appear to me,” rejoined Myrtilla ; ^^but they 
are not expected to simulate grief, and often amuse the 
spectators quite in their own fashion. Our writers relate 
an instance when in describing the splendid funeral 
obsequies of one of the emperors, noted for his parsi- 
mony, the managers of the treasury are made to say, in 
reply to a question regarding the cost of the funeral, that 
it had required a hundred thousand pounds : ‘ Give me a 
thousand only,’ cried the actor playing the part of the 
dead Emperor, ^ and throw my body into the Tiber! ’ And 
the remarks of the mime counterfeiting the Emperor were 


150 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


received with shouts of applause by the people within 
hearing.” 

‘‘Who are those following the actors?” asked Aziel. 

“Those form what is termed the procession of the 
ancestors,” answered Placidus. “You can see plainly by 
the light of the many torches carried by the slaves, what 
office each one is intended to designate. When a man 
dies, in whose family have been those occupying curule 
offices, the wax masks, representing these deceased ances- 
tors, and which are usually placed in niches in the atrium 
of the family mansion, are taken down and assumed by 
suitable persons, who also put on the official robes of the 
magistrate whom each one represents. You perceive here 
the triumphator, in his gold-embroidered toga^ the censor, 
in his purple robe, and the consul, in his purple-bordered 
lacerna^ each in his chariot, escorted by their lictors, with 
attendants bearing their insignia of office.” 

As the stately escort passed by, Aziel beheld the corpse 
itself, which followed the procession of ancestors, attired 
in senatorial robes, and laid upon a couch richly adorned 
with gold and purple, while a chaplet of flowers crowned 
the head of the dead. Pictures and effigies were carried 
after the corpse, and the bier was borne upon the shoulders 
of slaves, while the crowds of friends and spectators fol- 
lowed in the rear. 

“When the funeral procession takes place in the day- 
time,” resumed Placidus, as our party once again started 
upon their excursion, “the body is often borne to the 
Forum, where the wearers of the masks take their seats 
in the curule chairs, and the couch bearing the corpse is 
laid before them. A relation or friend of the dead man 
then pronounces the funeral oration, celebrating all the 
glories of his ancestors, and the virtues for which the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


151 


deceased had been distinguished. The procession then 
resumes its course to the place of burial, which, according 
to Eoman law, is usually without the city, and the corpse 
is there laid upon the funeral pile, already prepared for 
its reception. After the friends of the dead have thrown 
offerings upon the pyre, as the wailing women set up a 
mournful cry, the nearest relative applies the torch, and 
the flames soon envelop the bier. During the burning, 
rich families sometimes celebrate the obsequies by gladi- 
atorial combats. The ashes of the dead are then gathered 
and mixed with perfumes, and placed in urns, which are 
deposited in the family sepulchres. Formal words of 
parting are then addressed to the deceased, and the 
funeral ceremonies are ended.” 

‘‘Do you approve of such a mode of burial?” asked 
AzieL 

“Part of the obsequies are very impressive,” replied 
Placidus, “but much of the ceremony is distasteful to 
me.” 

By this time our party had passed through the Via 
Sacra, and thence by the Vicus Tuscus to the Velabrum; 
and here was presented another scene, which, in com- 
parison with that just witnessed, exemplified the extremes 
of joy and sorrow in human life. A bridal band were 
escorting a Koman bride from the banquet which had been 
held in her father^s house, to the home of her newly-made 
husband. The bride was arrayed in the marriage-veil and 
girdled tunica^ with hair arranged in six ringlets. As 
she belonged to the peasant class , her dress, though not 
costly, was nevertheless picturesque. She would be lifted 
over the threshold of her new home, to prevent an ill- 
omened stumble , and the ceremonies of her nuptials would 
end with the merry and boisterous “Thalassio” song, by 
her young companions. 


152 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


The ancient and venerable forms of Homan marriage, 
the confarreatio and coemjQtio^ had almost died out during 
the first century, and most marriages were mere civil 
contracts, dissoluble at pleasure. Divorce was resolved 
upon on the slightest pretext, and Seneca declares that 
there were women in Home who counted their age, not by 
the Consuls, but by the number of their husbands; and 
Juvenal mentions one Homan matron who had married 
eight husbands in five years. Many separated merely 
from a love of change, disdaining, like ^milius Paullus, 
to give any reason, who told his friends “that he knew 
best where his shoes pinched him.’’ 

The bride had little or no voice in the choice of her 
husband; the bridegroom arranged the matter with the 
girl’s father, and the contract was made by the formal 
words, Spondesne?^^ SpondeoJ^ A Homan maiden was 
kept in much seclusion; but after marriage the greatest 
liberty was allowed the wife. She retained control over 
her own property, — could go where she liked. Attended 
by her own troop of slaves, she might visit the temples of 
Isis and Serapis, witness the amusements in the circus 
and amphitheatre, frequent the public baths ; and the only 
restraint placed upon her actions was that dictated by her 
own sense of modesty. 

So great was the aversion to matrimony among the 
men, that heavy taxes were exacted from bachelors; and 
Metellus expressed the common opinion when he said, — 

“If, Homans, we could exist without a wife, we should 
all avoid the infliction; but since nature has ordained that 
we can neither be happy with a wife, nor exist at all 
without one, let us sacrifice our own comfort to the good 
of our country.” 

The marriage ceremony consisted mainly of sacrifices 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 153 

to the gods, and the inspection of entrails by the priests, 
that the omens for good or ill might be predicated. 

The decadence of Homan morals was vastly hastened 
by Homers introduction of Grecian customs and opinions. 
Before that time marriage had been considered sacred at 
Home. According to Plutarch and others, it was 520 years 
before a divorce occurred in Home. But with Greek cul- 
ture came also Greek frivolity, unbelief, and immorality. 
Family life, in the true meaning of the words, the Greek 
did not know. “Is there a human being,” asks Socrates 
of one of his friends , with whom you talk less than with 
your wife?” Even Socrates went to hear Aspasia, and 
famous men collected the witty sayings of Greek courte- 
sans, and wrote their histories. “Phryne, the courtesan 
— who promised the Thebans to rebuild their walls, if 
they would write on them in golden letters, ^ Alexander 
destroyed them, Fhryne rebuilt them ' — served Praxiteles 
as a model for his renowned statue of the Cnidian Aphro- 
dite, and appeared herself as Aphrodite at the festival of 
Poseidon, as with unloosed hair, and the undress of 
Venus, she descended into the sea before the eyes of 
applauding Greece.” 

In earlier days, a Roman wife remained at home, seldom 
appearing upon the streets, and then veiled, or in a closed 
litter; now the motto was, as Tertullian said, “See, and 
be seen ! ” Infanticide was not regarded a crime. “ House- 
hold employments were despised, and the children, as they 
grew larger, were left to the care of slaves. Mothers 
were more concerned about their toilets, or what flute or 
cithara player would receive the crown in the next con- 
test, what horse would win at the next race, what athlete 
or gladiator would come off victorious in the amphitheatre, 
than they were about the education of their children.” 


164 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Childlessness was regarded as a blessing, and Seneca, ^‘in 
a letter of condolence to a mother upon the loss of her 
only son, does not hesitate to remind her, by way of 
special consolation, that she will now, as a childless 
widow, be so much the more honored and beloved by such 
as hope for an inheritance.’^ 

Extravagance ran riot; and not only effeminacy, but 
vice, became the fashion. Livy said: ‘‘Home has become 
great by her virtues till now, when we can neither bear 
our vices nor their remedies;” and Seneca declares: ‘‘Vice 
no longer hides itself; it stalks forth before all eyes. So 
public has iniquity become, so mightily does it flame up 
in all hearts, that innocence is no longer rare , — it has 
ceased to exist . And somewhat later, Lucian exclaims: 
“ If any one loves wealth and is dazed by gold ; if any one 
measures happiness by purple and power; if any one 
brought up among flatterers and slaves has never had a 
conception of liberty, frankness, and truth; if any one has 
wholly surrendered himself to pleasures, full tables, 
carousals, lewdness, sorcery, falsehood, and deceit, let 
him go to Home.” 

Yet this same Seneca, who could thus denounce vice, 
was openly accused of immorality, and closed his eyes to 
the enormities of his former pupil, Nero. With wealth 
and luxury, came also an extravagant display in dress. 

“A fashionable Homan lady protected her complexion 
with a fine, artificial paste, which she laid at night on her 
face, and then bathed in ass^s milk. Of artificial washes, 
sweet-smelling oils, salves, perfumes, pigments, there was 
no end. Female slaves, thoroughly skilled in all the arts 
of the toilet, stood at her beck, and often, while dressing 
her, were roughly and cruelly treated, being pricked with 
long needles, or beaten. For each separate pigment a 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


155 


particular slave was appointed, who had been perfectly 
trained to color the eyebrows black, or the cheeks red. 
The hair was dressed in the most artificial manner, or 
replaced by wigs. What magnificence, what changes of 
apparel, what wealth of gold, pearls, and precious stones, 
earrings, and bracelets ! ” Lollia Paulina, the wife of 
Caligula, is thus described: “Caius Caligula was not 
smitten so much by the charms of her person, as of her 
estate, for she was the richest woman in Rome, the heiress 
of the extortioner of Gaul ; and the Emperor, like a mere 
private spendthrift, was driven to restore his shattered 
fortunes by a judicious alliance.” Lollia displayed her 
magnificence with a pomp truly imperial. ‘‘I have seen 
her,” says Pliny, “on no occasion of special solemnity, 
but a plain citizen’s bridal supper, all covered with pearls 
and emeralds, her hair and head-dress, ears, neck, and 
fingers, worth as much as forty millions of sesterces. 
Such was the style in which she came to witness the act 
of marriage. Nor were these the love-tokens of a princely 
prodigal ; they were the treasures of her grandsire, amassed 
from the spoils of provinces. Such was the end of all 
this rapine, — Lollius suffered disgrace, and perished by 
his own hand, that his granddaughter, forsooth, might 
blaze by lamp-light, in the splendor of forty millions.” 
“They wear two or three estates suspended from their 
ears,” says Seneca. 

Poppaea Sabina, the wife of Nero, took with her on her 
journeys five hundred asses, in order that cosmetic baths 
might be prepared for her from their milk, and these 
animals were reported to have been shod with gold and 
silver; and it was said that Nero, when he amused him- 
self with fishing, used nets interwoven with threads of 
gold. 


156 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Men out-vied each other in squandering hundreds of 
thousands at a single meal, and the Emperor Vitellius, in 
the few months of his reign, exhausted a hundred and 
fifty millions. That the pleasure of eating might be 
prolonged, they made use of emetics. ^^They do not 
deign to digest the feasts collected from all parts of the 
world, says Seneca, 

Koine obtained vast wealth from the conquered prov- 
inces. From the Temple in Jerusalem, Crassus plundered 
ten thousand talents (more than eleven millions of 
dollars). Gabinius, as Proconsul of Syria, exacted one 
hundred millions of denarii (over sixteen millions of 
dollars). The same Gabinius took from Ptolemy Auletes 
ten thousand talents, after Caesar had exacted six thou- 
sand, making about eighteen millions of dollars. Spain 
and Gaul were forced to contribute largely, and Quintus 
Servilius Caepio carried off from the Tectosagan city 
Tolosa fifteen thousand talents (nearly seventeen millions 
of dollars). As wealth and luxury increased, all forms 
of labor were considered degrading to a freeman; labor 
fell more and more into disgrace. Medicine, architecture, 
and commerce were alone regarded as honorable employ- 
ments for a freeman. 

Some estimate the number of inhabitants at the begin- 
ning of the Empire at from one to two millions. Of these, 
only about ten thousand belonged to the higher orders, 
senators and knights ; there were about a million of slaves, 
and fifty thousand foreigners. The remainder constituted 
the Plehs urhana, who were absolutely destitute. Of 
service for hire, there was little in Kome; each household 
had its own slaves, who produced for the rich what they 
required in their homes. There was no real middle class. 
Many sought their living as clients at the houses of the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


157 


great, which was little better than a slave’s life. The 
number of persons entitled to the distribution of public 
corn, in Caesar’s time, rose to three hundred and twenty 
thousand. 

‘^The thief,” says Seneca, ‘‘as well as the perjurer and 
the adulterer, receives the public corn ; every one, irre- 
spective of morals, is a citizen.” In addition to this gift 
of corn, largesses in money (congiaria) were distributed. 
Each congiarium of this sort cost the State two hundred 
and fifty million sesterces (over twelve millions of dollars). 
The world has never since witnessed such munificence, 
but this cannot be called benevolence. 

“Not man, but the Eoman citizen, was taken into con- 
sideration; not the needy, but strong men able to work, 
received the gift; not the individual, but the State, was 
the giver; not love, but justice, was the criterion. The 
congiarium was, after all, but each Eoman citizen’s share 
in the spoil of a conquered world, — a premium which 
the rich, out of fear, paid to idleness.” 

Such giving only made the people demand more. When 
one of the emperors would have granted the people’s 
clamor for wine as well as corn, his praetorian prefect 
remonstrated: “If we grant the people wine, we must 
also serve out to them chickens and geese,” he said. 
Such a system of largesses only worked demoralizingly. 
“Christianity first introduced true benevolence, and as it 
has ennobled labor, so it has also honored innocent poverty.” 

While the masses thus lived by public alms, the few 
revelled in surpassing luxury. Augustus boasted that he 
had found Eome a city of brick, and had left it a city of 
marble. A villa, which, with its gardens, comprised four 
acres, was considered small. The gorgeous atria of the 
mansions, adorned with lofty pillars of the most costly 


168 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


materials, were ornamented with beams of Hymettian 
marble, supported by columns of the rarest of African 
marbles, while tiles of alabaster, bordered with green 
serpentine from Egypt, or slabs of variegated stones from 
the Black Sea, formed the brilliant tessellated floors. 
The arches glistened with mosaics of myriad-colored 
glass, while from one pillared roof to another, crimson 
awnings were hung, as a protection from the sun, and lent 
their rosy shimmer to the rainbow rays of the plashing 
fountains, and the cool greens of the luxuriant shrubs, 
and added a faint blush to the pale lily, and deepened 
the rich tints of the rose blooming in priceless vases of 
Corinthian brass, or falling gracefully from some glisten- 
ing vessel of amber crystal. 

For miles on all sides of the Imperial City, stretched 
the most magnificent parks, here encroaching even upon 
the sea, there formed by bringing earth at enormous 
expense, and covering the bare rocks, and transforming 
them into a blooming garden. In a land where the 
climate is enchantingly delightful, under skies brilliant 
and cloudless, over hills and in valleys, Eome sat en- 
throned in loveliness. Mistress of the World. 

The interiors of the villas were equally magnificent. 
Babylonian tapestries covered the couches inlaid with 
gold and with silver; vessels of Murrha, worth from 
$7,500 to $37,500, stood on the priceless tables of citrus- 
wood; superb vases of Corinthian bronze gleamed between 
columns of alabaster ; ^Eginetan candelabra threw a glow- 
ing softness on the antique silver and plate of gold, 
encrusted with gems, with which the sideboards were 
laden. Statues by famous sculptors lined the walls ; 
paintings by renowned artists adorned the ceilings; foun- 
tains of perfume filled the air with a delicious fragrance; 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 159 

■while everywhere stood obsequious slaves to relieve the 
owners of the slightest physical exertion. Behind the 
couch of the master of the house at supper waited, per- 
chance, some graceful Greek slave, Avho knew by heart 
Homer or Virgil, who might whisper in his ear some 
appropriate quotation from the classic poets, so that a 
rich Homan could even do his thinking by proxy. 

In the absence of serious occupation, life became a mere 
routine of frivolities. ‘^It is astonishing,” Pliny writes, 
“how time is passed in Home. Take any day by itself, 
and it either is, or seems to be, well spent; yet review 
many days together, and you will be surprised to discover 
how unprofitable they have been. Ask any one, ‘ What 
have you done to-day? ’ He will tell you, ‘ I was at a 
friend^s, who gave his son the toga virilis ; another re- 
quested me to be a witness to his will; a third asked me 
to a consultation. ' All of these things appear at the time 
extremely necessary. But when we reflect that day after 
day has been thus spent, such employments seem trifling.” 

Another writer says, — 

‘‘ Through dissipation, the minds of indolent youth have 
become sluggish, and no one rouses himself to the trouble 
and toil of an honorable employment. Sleep and lassi- 
tude, and, what is worse than both, zeal in wrong-doing, 
have taken possession of them. Their darling passion 
is to curl their hair, to weaken their voices to feminine 
accents of flattery, to vie with women in pampering the 
body, to excel in the foulest vices. Who of your con- 
temporaries is full of spirit? Who is full of desire for 
knowledge? Who is even a man ? ” 

When not given up to frivolity and dissipation, the 
most important occupations were writing, reading to others 
what had been written, composing poems, and admiring 


160 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


those produced by others. “We suffer from a superfluity 
of sciences ! ” said Seneca. The scholars went to the 
lecture-rooms to hear some rhetorician declaim about 
morality, while the Koman dandies frequented the baths 
— “the clubs of the day” — to talk about everything and 
nothing. 

The slave-markets were managed as are modern cattle- 
markets. “The slaves, male and female, stood there; the 
vendor cried up his wares, the buyers looked at them, felt 
of them, to be sure they were sound; the slaves were 
required to run, leap, open their mouths, show their 
teeth, etc. When purchased, they were assigned, accord- 
ing to ability or opportunity to some handicraft or art, 
to agriculture or to begging, or to the gladiatorial sports 
or to the brothel. As porters, they were chained in front 
of the gate, as with us a house-dog, and at night were 
shut up in the ergastida, or slave -prisons, like animals in 
a stall. Like them they were branded and marked; and 
they were also flogged and crucifled, often on the least 
occasion. So long as there was any hope of profit from 
them, they were spared, and when dead, they were cast 
into a pit with dead animals, unless, indeed, they had 
been previously exchanged, according to Cato’s advice, for 
old oxen and cows.” 

In the city of Home the old and diseased among the 
slaves were killed outright, or left exposed on an island 
in the Tiber. “Dumb and fasting, a slave must stand 
whole nights long behind the couch of his carousing 
master. Woe to him, if by whispering, or even by 
sneezing or coughing, he disturbed the peace of the 
feaster. He was exposed to every caprice of his owner. 
A word, and he was sent to the field-slaves in the prisons 
on one of his master’s numerous estates, or scourged till 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 161 

blood came, or horribly killed, or thrown as food to the 
fishes. According to the old Eoman law, when a master 
was killed in his house, the slaves who had passed the 
night under his roof were all executed, if the murderer 
was not discovered. Slavery made masters cruel and 
hard, and not seldom, even women, renouncing the gentle- 
ness of their sex, took pleasure in torturing their female 
slaves. The slaves, in return, became what their treat- 
ment made them. As they were deemed incapable of any 
virtue, and arbitrarily and capriciously treated, so they 
became low-minded, lazy, lying, and treacherous.’^ 


11 


162 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER X. 

THE ROMAN CHRISTIANS. — A MOONLIGHT SAIL ON THE 
TIBER. 

In contrast with the picture of extravagance and vice 
portrayed by the writers of that day, the following de- 
scription of the Christians of the first century, given in 
the words of another,^ is impressive. 

‘‘Xot merely at church, but at home also, in their voca- 
tions, and on the streets, Christians desired to appear as 
Christians. They guarded with the greatest care against 
any connection with heathenism; they avoided with the 
utmost conscientiousness everything which could in any 
way be construed as a denial of their faith. Difficult 
indeed must have been the task, for their entire life was 
encompassed by a net-work of heathen customs, which a 
Christian must every moment rend, if he would remain 
true to his God. Every step and turn necessitated a 
confession of faith, and every confession involved danger. 
The symbols, and still more the spirit of heathenism, were 
everywhere. If a Christian went upon the street, he saw 
the images of the gods standing there » and met processions 
in which they were solemnly carried about. All who 
passed by paid their homage ; the Christian could not do 
this. If he entered the senate or a court of justice, there 
stood an altar with incense and wine. Custom required 
one in passing to offer a libation, and strew incense. If 

^ Dr. Gerhard Uhlhorn : The Conflict of Christianity with 
Heathenism.^^ 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


163 


he stepped into an inn, or stall, or shop, to make a pur- 
chase, or leave an order, he always found an altar and 
little idols, often no longer than the thumb. 

“Or perhaps he was invited by heathen friends or 
relatives to a family festival. If he did not go, he gave 
offence 5 if he w^ent, he still could not but incur their dis- 
pleasure, by declining to participate in the festal sacrifices 
and in the libations which were offered from beginning to 
end of the meal, especially to the Caesar-god, and by 
refusing to partake of this or that article of food. Fre- 
quently, on such occasions, the heathen purposely tempted 
the Christians, by setting before them food prepared with 
blood, from which they were accustomed to abstain. In 
such circumstances Christians esteemed it all the more 
their duty openly to acknowledge their faith. 

“Not only custom and usage, but language also was 
thoroughly imbued with heathenism. The formulas of 
the oath, depositions, testimony before a tribunal, greet- 
ings and thanksgivings, all contained remembrances of the 
heathen gods. By Hercules! this, and similar exclama- 
tions were often heard. The Christian must refrain from 
these, must at least protest by silence. He might give 
alms to a beggar in the street. Naturally, in gratitude, the 
recipient would wish for his benefactor the blessing of 
some god. Christians who were strict in their deportment 
believed that it was not permitted them, in such a case, to 
remain silent, lest it should seem as if they accepted the 
blessing of an idol; they considered it incumbent upon 
them openly to avow that their charity had been given for 
the sake of the living God, and that He might be praised 
therefor. If a Christian had occasion to borrow money, 
the note which he must sign would contain an oath by the 
heathen gods. He could only refuse to execute the note. 


164 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘^Many special relations of life brought the Christians 
into still more difficult situations. A master would order 
a Christian slave to do something wholly unobjectionable 
from a heathen point of view, but sinful according to a 
Christian standard, and yet the slave was completely in the 
power of his master, who could have him, if disobedient, 
tortured, and even killed. How should the Christian 
wife who had a heathen husband, fulfil her Christian 
obligations, attend divine worship, visit tfie sick, enter- 
tain strangers, distribute alms, without offending her hus- 
band? How could the officer or the soldier perform his 
duties without denying his faith? All who had obtained 
a support by the heathen cultus, servants and laborers in 
the temples, idol-makers, sellers of incense, and others, 
must relinquish their occupations in order to become and 
remain Christians. Let us consider the strenuousness of 
the times, and their demands upon a Christian wife. They 
were days of conflict, little suited to the cultivation of the 
beautiful, even to a legitimate extent. Tertullian 
writes, — 

^ Pleasures must be discarded whose softness may 
weaken the courage of faith. I know not whether the 
wrist, accustomed to a bracelet, will endure, if the hard 
chain makes it stiff; I know not whether the leg will 
suffer itself to be fettered in the gyve, instead of by an 
anklet; I fear that the neck, hung with pearls and 
emeralds, will give no room to the broadsword. Where- 
fore, blessed of the Lord, let us meditate on hardships, 
and we shall not feel them; let us relinquish pleasant 
things, and we shall not desire them; let us stand ready 
to endure every violence, having nothing which we may 
fear to leave behind. The days of Christians are always, 
and now more than ever, not golden, but iron. The robes 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


165 


of martyrs are preparing, they are held up by angel 
bearers. Go forth, then, amply supplied with the cos- 
metics and ornaments of prophets and apostles, taking 
your dazzling whiteness from simplicity, and your ruddy 
hue from modesty; painting your eyes with bashfulness, 
and your mouth with silence; inserting in your ears the 
words of God, and fastening on your necks the yoke of 
Christ. Submit your head to your husband, and you will 
be sufficiently adorned. Busy your hands with spinning, 
and keep your feet at home, and hand and foot will please 
more than if arrayed in gold. Clothe yourselves with the 
silk of uprightness, the fine linen of holiness, the purple 
of modesty. Thus adorned, you will have God for your 
lover. ^ 

‘‘The heathen often sneered at the large number of 
women in the Christian churches ; they called Christianity 
in contempt a religion for old women and children, but 
they were constrained to learn what Christianity made of 
these women, and to acknowledge, against their will, the 
difference between a heathen and a Christian woman. In 
the one case a passion for finery, vanity, coquetry be^’-ond 
measure, in the other, simplicity and naturalness; there, 
immodesty and shamelessness, here, chastity and propriety; 
there, women who divided their time between making and 
displaying their toilets, and who shone at the theatre and 
the circus, at dinner-parties and festivals, where brutal 
shows, or indecent plays, or gluttony and drunkenness was 
the rule ; here, wives who dressed to please their husbands, 
mothers who lived for their children; there, an enervated 
sex, painted, and spoiled by art; here, heroines who paled 
not even at the sight of the lions in the amphitheatre, and 
calmly bent their necks to the sword. ‘ What women 
there are among the Christians ! ’ exclaimed the astonished 
pagan Libanius.’’ 


166 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


With this digression, in order to more vividly portray a 
picture of Eome at that era, we will return to our story. 

Placidus and his party having reached the bank of the 
Tiber, the ladies descended from their palanquins, and 
they all embarked by the Pons ^milius in a light skiff, 
for a sail down the river to the Pons Portuensis, leading 
to the Via of the same name on the other bank of the 
Tiber. Here was the Catacomb which they sought. 
Virgilia and Myrtilla had exchanged their delicate house 
robes for simple white garments, covered by voluminous 
dark blue mantles. Leaving their freedmen and slaves 
with the litters, to await their return to this landing, 
they set sail with Placidus and Aziel, and were wafted 
down the stream by the soft night breeze, while the moon 
silvered the waters, and the nightingales sang in the 
groves, which lined either side of the river. As they 
passed a nobleman^s villa, six crosses, upon which cruci- 
fied slaves were hanging, shone ghastly in the full light 
of the moon ; and now and again the delicious music of the 
night warblers was pierced with the shrieks of some poor 
tortured slave bound to the rack, or being scourged at the 
command of his brutal owner. Common as these sounds 
were to Virgilia and Myrtilla, their sweet faces were 
expressive of their horror at such cruelties, and Virgilia 
remarked, — 

Surely Eome has need of the Gospel of love taught by 
the pitying Christ! ” 

In the midst of the Tiber, just north of the Pons 
^milius, where our party embarked, was the Insula 
Tiberina. Upon this island stood the famous Temple 
of jEsculapius, containing the statue of the healing god, 
brought from Epidaurus to Eome in the year 156 b. c., 
by order of the oracles consulted in the Sibylline books, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


167 


regarding a remedy to stay the awful pestilence which 
ravaged Rome at that time. The legend regarding the 
erection of this temple was as follows. When the Roman 
ambassadors, sent to Epidaurus to procure the statue of 
the god, embarked in the trireme with the image, a snake, 
thought to contain the deity himself by the superstitious 
idolators, went on board the galley with the statue, and 
when the vessel touched at Antium, where was also a 
Temple of ^sculapius, the serpent made for the land, 
and entered the temple. This snake remained at Antium 
three days, coiled round a tall palm-tree. At the end of 
that time it re-embarked of its own will, and the trireme 
proceeded on its way. As the galley was being rowed up 
the Tiber to Rome, and when opposite this island, the 
serpent left the vessel, and swam across the river to the 
Insula Tiberina; and, thereupon, the Romans thinking 
this a manifestation of the will of the gods that the 
temple should be erected upon that spot, it was accord- 
ingly built thefe, and became a great resort for invalids, 
who repaired thither co oher sacrifices to the god of heal- 
ing, that thereby, perchance, their lost health might be 
recovered. 

Having reached the Pons Portuensis, the party landed, 
and, led by Placidus, proceeded to the gardens of the 
Christian Pontiano, beneath whose estate this catacomb 
was excavated. 

Aziel followed his friends with much curiosity into this 
strange place of worship. Entering a large cubicula, he 
saw about one hundred Christians gathered in this under- 
ground chamber. How different the sight from that of 
upper Rome! Here were no images of false gods, no 
brutal scenes, no coarse jests, such as had assailed his ears 
in the baths and streets of the city. An impressive still- 


168 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


ness brooded over all; a holy atmosphere attuned the soul 
to a spirit of prayer; not a visible offering to a false god 
or impotent idol, but to the Almighty God, and His 
Divine Son, Jesus Christ. 

In the midst of that little company of believers, an aged 
Christian rose to read from the Gospel, and Aziel recog- 
nized the words from the Acts, which he himself had 
quoted to the Egyptian: “Forasmuch, then, as we are 
the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the 
Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by 
art and man’s device.” 

“If we are the offspring of God,” said the aged Chris- 
tian, “ how can the Godhead be a dumb idol of stone, or 
image of gold? Can the offspring have minds capable of 
thought, hearts moved by emotions, affections swayed by 
love and compassion, and wills powerful for choices, and 
yet the Godhead be but a dumb idol or a relentless fury? 
Must not the God who has created us have a mind capable 
of infinite thought, a heart moved by th« most sublime 
emotions, an affection swayed by transcendent love and 
compassion, and a will all-powerful in heaven and on 
earth?” 

Then another Christian rose, and opening the scroll of 
the lately received Gospel of Mark, read, — 

“But Jesus called them to Him and saith unto them: 
Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the 
Gentiles, exercise lordship over them, and their great 
ones exercise authority upon them. 

“But so shall it not be among you; but whosoever will 
be great among you, shall be your minister : and whosoever 
of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 

“For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered 
unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for 
many.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


169 


As that heroic band of believers then knelt in prayer, 
repeating in unison the words which Jesus taught His 
disciples, Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be 
Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth 
as it is done in Heaven, Placidus felt a deep conviction 
of the truth of the invisible presence of an Almighty 
and Infinite Power, which could so inspire these men and 
women, to risk their lives in defence of their faith, and 
endue them with courage even in Heroes Home to defy 
the combined forces of Nero, heathenism, and the devil, 
by their sublime heroism. Those were wicked times; 
but when human nature was at its worst, the Saviour 
thought it worth dying for.^’ Above, in the streets of 
Home, vice ran riot; crime stalked abroad with unabashed 
insolence, cruelty gloated in blood and death-pangs, im- 
morality made of Home “the great scarlet-colored beast, 
full of names of blasphemy,’^ while the great Beast from 
the Abyss sat upon the throne of the Empire. 

And here beneath that iniquitous city, working out her 
own terrible destruction, was this band of holy men and 
women. “ And they sing the song of Moses, the servant 
of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and 
marvellous are Thy works. Lord God Almighty : just and 
true are Thy ways, thou King of Saints. Who shall not 
fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou 
only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship 
before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.” 
And soon will be fulfilled the prophecy of the angel in 
Hevelations : — 

“Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen! and is become 
the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, 
and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. ” 

While of this little band of Christian martyrs it shall be 


170 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


said : These are they which came out of great tribulation, 
and have washed their robes, and made them white in the 
blood of the Lamb.” 

As Placidus, with his mother and sister, accompanied 
by Aziel, sails homeward through the moonlight, let us 
take a glance of those times as pictured by another.^ 

‘‘The age in which the treasures of the world were 
squandered in luxurious pleasure, ran swiftly enough to 
its end. Under emperors like Caligula and Nero, all 
property, all pleasure, life itself, became insecure. There 
were two leading ways by which happiness was sought. 
‘ Enjoy said Epicurus. ‘Forego!’ exhorted the Stoic; 
or, to speak with Epictetus, ‘ abstain and endure ! ’ Scepti- 
cism itself was a renunciation, — a despair of attaining to 
assured knowledge. Heathenism, despairing of every kind 
of happiness, had no further consolation for the evils of 
this life than suicide, and it knew no other victory over 
the world than this flight out of it. The old world had 
become perplexed about its century-honored gods. The 
time of secure certitude was past; a day of seeking and 
questioning had begun. Men sought and asked for new 
gods , — gods who could fulfil what had been promised in 
vain for the old. 

“ Truly the times were fulfilled ; the old world was ready, 
not to produce Christianity from itself, but to receive it. 
In Greece, in Home, had been shown what the human 
spirit can accomplish in its own strength. It is capable 
of great things, and gloriously has it wrought; but all the 
greatness sank into ruin, all the glory paled, and one 
thing it could not do, — it could not appease the longing 
of every human soul for the eternal, for God. The end of 

1 Dr. Gerhard Uhlhorn : The Conflict of Christianity with 
Heathenism.” 


THE DOOM OF THH HOLY CITY. 


171 


Heathenism, as respects religion, is complete inefficiency, 
— perfect despair of itself. Man can know nothing with 
certainty; this is the end of all questioning. Fatet 
exitus! This is the end of all search for happiness, 
suicide is the last consolation. But, in the act of expir- 
ing, Heathenism reaches forth to the new creation which 
God will provide. Everywhere coming events cast their 
shadow before them, the universality of Christianity is 
adumbrated in the universality of the Eoman Empire, 
faith in the one living God, in the Monotheism which, 
through the labor of Philosophy, and the mingling of 
national gods, opens a way for itself into ever-widening 
circles. Everywhere is disclosed a seeking and question- 
ing which wait for their fulfilment, and will -find it, — the 
seeking for redemption in the Saviour of all nations; the 
questioning respecting the other life in the preaching of 
the risen One. And in the midst of the seeking heathen 
world, Israel stands as prophet, fulfilling here also its 
mission, — to prepare a place for Him who is to come. 
Here, if anywhere, can it be perceived, not to say grasped 
with the hand, that everything in the history of our race, 
according to the plan and counsel of God, who is rich in 
mercy, finds its goal in Him, in whom all the promises 
of God are Yea and Amen, in Christ the Lord.^^ 


172 


THE DOOM* OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XI. 

AZIEL RETURNS TO JERUSALEM. AZIEL, MIRIAM, AND 

JESSICA IN THE HOUSE OF AN ANUS. FLORUS AND 

QUEEN BERENICE. THE ZEALOTS. 

It was the latter part of the summ-er of the year 66 a. d. 
Aziel had returned to Jerusalem, where a sedition had 
been excited among the Jews by the cruelties of Gessius 
Florus, who had succeeded Albinus as Procurator of Judea. 
Xero had gone to Greece, attended by courtiers, and the 
ministers of his luxury and vice. His great ambition was 
to gain distinction as a victor in the Grecian games. All 
the states which held musical contests had humored him 
with the offer of their prizes, and the contests to occur in 
successive years at Olympia, Xemea, Delphi, and Corinth, 
were all to be enacted during his stay in Greece, and in 
compliment to him. 

Xero did not confine his own performances to music, but 
contended alike in tragedy, comedy, and charioteering. 
Wherever he went he challenged the foremost artists, 
and extorted the prize from all competitors. Before this 
august Caesar went a Roman consular, playing the part of 
herald, and announcing to astonished Greece the marvel- 
lous fact that Nero, the Emperor, is Victor, and he crowns 
the People of Rome, and the World, which is his ownP 
And now, while Xero sings, and pipes, and dances in 
Greece, receiving with puerile delight ephemeral wreaths 
of laurel from obsequious flatterers, the Imperial Crown 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


173 


of the Empire is being swiftly snatched from his unworthy 
brow. 

The Emperor had placed the government of Eome in the 
hands of a freedman, Helius; and when rumors rose of the 
discontent in the city and the provinces, and the heretofore 
suppressed murmurs of the people and soldiers grew louder 
and louder, till the low mutterings had become at length 
an ocean’s roar, still so deaf was the infatuated monster, 
that when Helius sent word to him of the growing storm 
which threatened him, and urged his immediate return to 
Eome, Nero obstinately replied, — 

‘‘You admonish me, you entreat me to present myself 
again in Eome; nay, but you should rather dissuade me 
from returning, until I have reaped my full harvest of 
laurels.” 

And so Nero sang and danced, and the outraged people 
not only murmured, but soon spoke in thunder tones of 
indignation. But not yet did the blow fall. 

At Delphi, Nero consulted an oracle, and was warned 
against the seventy-third year; and the infamous wretch of 
thirty counted his age with glee, and imagined the omen 
to portend a long life. While there was a chaplet to be 
won in Greece, Eome mattered little to this mad egotist; 
and while Greece bows in mock obeisance to this most 
infamous of earth’s rulers, let us glance at Judea. 

Now it chanced that in these days, Berenice, sister of 
King Agrippa, was in Jerusalem, having come up to the 
Holy City at the time of the Feast of the Passover. 
Cestius Gallus, proconsul of Syria, having also arrived at 
Jerusalem, had been importuned by the people, that he 
would aid them by restraining Florus in his wrong-doing, 
for he had plundered the city and provinces, and had not 
hindered any man in robbery against his neighbor. 


174 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Cestius spake the people fair, promising that he would 
endeavor to persuade Florus to deal more mercifully with 
them. But Florus, accompanying Cestius to Caesarea, 
demeaning himself to the Proconsul with a fair appear- 
ance of good-will towards the populace of Jerusalem, had 
nevertheless determined to drive the Jews to a war with 
the Komans, that thereby his evil deeds might not come 
to the ears of Caesar. 

In the house of Ananus, on Zion’s Hill, at eventide, 
sat Aziel, Miriam, and Jessica, on the ivy-grown balcony 
of the roof -terrace. Aziel had been entertaining the young 
maidens with delightful accounts of his life in Eome, 
and Miriam’s eyes had glowed with a deeper light, as he 
told of the Christian worshippers in the Catacombs, while 
her cheeks had blanched with indignant horror, as he 
portrayed in some slight detail the cruelties of Nero. 

They formed a charming group on that bowered roof, 
as the sunset glows bathed the crest of the Mount of 
Olives with glory, and the cloud canopy over their heads 
was flecked here and there with feathery vapor-plumes, 
rose-colored, or pale lemon, or green in tint, swaying like 
gorgeous wings of the brilliant plumaged birds of the 
Orient; while larger banks of clouds rose like .columns of 
gold capped with entablatures of cloud-sculpture. On the 
opposite hill of Moriah, the Temple stood resplendent, 
king of all ancient fanes, symbol of the Almighty Jehovah, 
the One God before all gods, the Alpha and Omega, to 
whom be honor and power, dominion and glory, through 
the ages of ages ! 

Miriam rested in a graceful pose upon a rich divan 
covered with a drapery of costly Babylonian tapestry, and 
adorned with large pillows of golden damask. Not as 
a Eoman beauty did she recline amidst her sumptuous 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


175 


cushions, with an air of languor, but rather, as a noble 
Jewish maiden, conforming to the customs of her times, 
yet maintaining such a reserve and stately dignity as 
should, forsooth, repel all familiarity of speech or even 
look. Though she reposed there a dream of Oriental 
beauty, not even Aziel, a friend from childhood, would 
have dared to touch the slender hand lying upon the 
curving head of the divan, while the dimpled fingers toyed 
with a white lily hardly more perfect than themselves in 
loveliness. 

Myrtilla would have reclined amongst the cushions with 
not less dignity and reserve, but the Homan or the 
Grecian maiden, accustomed to behold from infancy the 
masterpieces of sculptured art, assumed unconsciously a 
greater abandon of pose than a Jewish maiden, to whose 
eyes all images were strange. 

Miriam was attired in a tunic of white linen, girdled 
with a broad scarf of scarlet silk, harmonizing well with 
the glowing colors of her luxurious divan. A white gauze 
veil of Oriental stuff, sprinkled over with golden lotus 
blossoms, denoting the active commerce maintained be- 
tween Jerusalem and Egypt, rested lightly on her shining 
black braids of hair, and softly screened her swelling 
throat, while through the transparent material the spark- 
ling of her rich jewels was plainly visible. 

At her feet, upon a low hassock, sat Jessica, grown 
much taller in the two years just past, and demanding 
with pretty airs her claims to a greater deference; for a 
Jewish maiden of fourteen was no longer a child, but 
assumed the dignity of the modern young women of 
eighteen. The girl was beautiful, while not of the same 
type as her sister Miriam; for through her mother’s 
ancestry, descended from the ancient line of David, 


176 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


appeared from time to time a fairer style of beauty; and 
Jessica^s hair had caught the gold, and the blue flax 
flowers had laughed into her baby eyes. 

As all persons delight in contrasts, the roguish maiden 
had questioned Aziel with eager curiosity regarding the 
appearance of his Homan friend Placidus, and had ex- 
pressed much satisfaction when told that his eyes were 
dark, and locks the raven’s hue; and saucily had she 
informed her sister’s friend, — 

am glad he is a dark man, Aziel. I like not men 
with woman’s curls of gold, and eyes like doves, as thou 
hast; but I am willing to confess they make most obedient 
and useful friends.” 

And Miriam’s reprimand had been cut short by Aziel 
laughingly declaring, ‘‘that it were well for his peace of 
mind that he did not possess the eyes and hair admired 
by the sancy Jessica, else might she have smiled on him 
so sweetly as to have endangered his tranquillity of 
heart.” 

To which the girl, with pretty frown and slightly pout- 
ing lips and a dignified demeanor, haughtily replied, — 

“I have no occasion to try and fascinate Miriam’s 
admirers,” which keen shaft did its intended work; and 
silence fell upon the trio for a moment, while Aziel stole 
a glance at Miriam, and inwardly blessed the saucy girl 
for saying what he dared not utter; and Miriam wondered 
if the heedless Jessica had discovered the secret she her- 
self would have given much to know. 

And well would Aziel and Miriam be mated, if fortune 
should thus favor them. Aziel was tall, graceful, lithe 
of limb, broad of chest, noble of brow, kingly of mien; 
gracious as a woman ; brave as a lion when danger threat- 
ened; simple as a child in his faith in God; firm as a rock 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


177 


against wickedness; wrathful as a mountain tempest when 
aroused against a great wrong in defence of the right and 
the weak; placid as a summer morning in his cheerful 
nature ; pitiful as a mother in the sight of the sufferings 
of others; heroic as Hercules in bearing his own griefs; 
true as the load-star to his friends, his country, and his 
God. 

Handsome in truth he was , as he stood by a large crystal 
vase filled with blooming roses , while he rested his right 
arm upon the ivy-twined balustrade surrounding the roof 
pavilion. His attitude was one of ease, but the muscles 
of his finely developed frame were still alert for action, 
and evinced none of the weak inertness displayed by the 
Koman dandies, enervated by a life of luxury and vice. 
His Jewish robe of finest wool, dyed in the costly Tyrian 
purple, threw out in bold relief the light in his shining 
hair and flowing beard. His turban of gold-colored silk 
seemed to grace his brow as a kingly diadem. Truth was 
mirrored in his eyes; a power to command written on the 
broad, intellectual forehead; generous in giving, faithful 
in holding trusts committed to his care. 

Kachel now appeared, bearing golden goblets filled with 
the light wine of Palestine, and Jessica, springing quickly 
from her hassock, gracefully offered the goblet to Aziel in 
token of renewed friendship. And Miriam looked on both 
with a loving approval, and it was hard to say which of 
them received the most tender glance from her dark eyes. 

Jessica was clad in a tunic of pale blue, and over her 
hair, in which stray rays of sunshine seemed immeshed, 
floated a veil of golden gauze, which she had proudly 
donned in token of her outgrown childhood, and present 
dignity of Jewish maidenhood. Jewels also now shone 
upon her fair white neck, and golden bracelets clasped 


12 


178 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


her rounded arms, where they swelled in perfect curves 
below the shoulder, and also upon the slender wrists. 
Her gem-encrusted sandals were fastened a,t the ankle 
with silver bands and chains, and rings sparkled upon her 
fingers, for Jessica had the Oriental woman’s love of 
adornment, which, however, she carried to no undue 
excess, in those days, when women were more lavishly 
attired than in more modern times. 

As Aziel talked of Virgilia and Myrtilla, he had not 
noted any sign of jealousy overshadow Miriam’s face, 
while she had expressed intense longing to meet and 
know two such lovely women. 

^‘Will not thy friend, the Eoman Placidus, visit thee 
in Jerusalem?” inquired Miriam. 

Peradventure, in the future,” responded Aziel; ^^but 
he is now with the General Vespasian, being summoned 
to Ptolemais, where Vespasian is organizing forces to sup- 
press the uprising in Galilee.” 

^Hf war be declared between Kome and Jerusalem,” 
said Miriam, ^^and it should come to pass that Placidus 
and thou wert in hostile camps , thy past friendship would 
add much to thy sorrow.” 

^‘Hay, not so!” rejoined Aziel; ^Hhough Eome and 
Jerusalem may be enemies, Placidus and Aziel will ever 
be friends.” 

“That is well spoken,” said Miriam, smiling, rejoiced 
to find Aziel so worthy of her regard. “ When one has par- 
taken of the hospitality of a friend, though their native 
lands may be at variance, a man can be true to his country 
and also true to his friend.” 

“I fear troublous times betide this land,” remarked 
Aziel, while a look of sadness flitted across his frank and 
noble countenance. “Gessius Plorus has sent messengers 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY> 179 

to take seventeen talents out of the treasury of the 
Temple, pretending that the Emperor has demanded them. 
Methinks this is only a ruse of his to drive the people to 
riot; and even as I passed through the Xystus, the popu- 
lace seemed in an uproar, crying out against the tyranny 
of Florus. Some of the Jewish youths walked through 
the square, carrying baskets, and mockingly begging alms 
for the avaricious Florus, as though they would in derision 
seek help for this official beggar.” 

fear this will much anger the governor,” declared 
Miriam; “and though I sympathize with the people, I 
deem these deeds ill-timed.” 

“Oh, talk not of hateful war, and seditions!” cried 
Jessica. “Tell me, Aziel, of that great Kome, and more 
about its wonderful sights; I myself will see that same 
Eome some day.” 

“Xay, little sister,” chided Miriam; “thy childish curi- 
osity will peradventure take thy eager feet into some 
thorny paths, I fear.’’ 

“Look not so sadly, Miriam mine! ” cried the impulsive 
maiden, throwing her arms about her sister’s neck, and 
imprinting a warm kiss upon the pensive brow. “Be 
sure of this,” continued the laughing girl; “when danger 
threatens, Jessica will show no fear, even though Eoman 
soldiers confront her.” 

“I believe thee, Jessica beloved,” rejoined Miriam, 
gazing with pride upon the flushed face and resolute 
bearing of the tender child she had guarded with such 
motherly care. “Thou art a true Jewish maiden of thy 
father’s line of noble patriarchs, and I know thou wouldst 
be like Euth, true and stanch; or like Esther, undaunted 
by the sceptre of Ahasuerus, did duty demand. But we 
will hope, little maiden, that no such trial awaits thy 


180 


•THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


courageous spirit.’^ And she caressed the soft cheek of 
the pretty child, little aware of the fate hanging over that 
youthful head. 

^^And so thou didst not bring me a civetta^ from that 
great Eome,” Jessica exclaimed. ^‘Thou neglectful Aziel! 
such an owl would add much to my collection of feathery 
pets; but I forgive thee, for thou hast brought back thy- 
self, and thou art better than an owl, though I insist that 
thou art not so wise.” 

Thus the gay child changed in mood from grave to gay, 
like April shower to sunshine; but though April smiles, 
there is thunder imprisoned in her banks of snowy clouds, 
and in the child’s heart was heroism, and truth, and 
brave endurance. 

As Miriam had feared, when Florus heard of the recep- 
tion the Jews in Jerusalem had given to his demands, he 
forthwith marched to Jerusalem with an army of horse 
and foot soldiers, and calling before him the chief men of 
the city, he commanded that the leaders in the tumult 
should be delivered up to him. And when he found that 
this was not done, he thereupon gave free reins to his 
soldiers to rob and murder the people, insomuch that all 
Jerusalem was filled with fear and blood; and even Koman 
knights, because Jews by birth, were shamefully beaten 
before his judgment seat, and these were afterwards 
crucified. 

Though Berenice, the king’s sister, sent her body-guard 
and captains to Florus, beseeching mercy for the people, 
he paid no heed to her entreaties. She thereupon, queen 
though she was, went herself, barefoot, and in the garb of 
mourning, and stood before his tribunal, making personal 
intercession for the prisoners; but Florus regarded her 
not, but commanded his soldiers to torture these victims 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


181 


before her very eyes, and would doubtless have slain her 
also, but that she escaped to the palace, where she was 
under the protection of her guard. 

The next day the people gathered in the Xystus in 
great multitudes, crying out against Florus. Whereupon 
Ananus, as one of the chief priests, who desired that there 
should be peace rather than war, together with Aziel, who 
was well known, and much respected by the citizens for 
his father ^s sake, as well as for his own exemplary 
character, — these, together with other Jewish princes and 
priests, besought the populace that they give no occasion 
for evil report to Caesar, and thus the people were per- 
suaded to return quietly to their homes. 

But Florus, intent on raising a disturbance, sent to the 
chief men of the city, and said, — 

If ye now be earnest for peace, go forth and meet the 
soldiers that are now coming to the city, and salute them 
as friends.’’ 

This he said craftily, for he had meantime sent word to 
the centurions that they should take no heed to the saluta- 
tions of the people. And so it came about. 

The people went forth with friendly greetings, but the 
soldiers answered nothing, and the populace, being in- 
censed at such a reception, denounced Florus, whereupon 
the soldiers chased the people back to the city, trampling 
on many, and slaying many more with clubs and weapons. 

The Jews were then thoroughly aroused, and Ananus no 
longer restrained their just wrath, as they cast stones and 
javelins upon the soldiers from the roofs of the houses, 
as Florus attempted with his troops to take possession of 
the Temple. Neither did the chief priests prevent the 
populace from tearing down the cloisters connecting the 
Tower of Antonia and the Temple, through which 


182 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


cloisters the Eoman soldiers were accustomed to keep 
watch of the people on feast days. 

Floras, being met by this determined resistance, retired 
from the city to Caesarea, and sent letters to Cestius, 
accusing the Jews of the very outrages which he had him- 
self committed against them. Whereupon Cestius sent 
one of his captains to Jerusalem to inquire into the 
matter. 

An anus, with the High Priest, and accompanied by 
Aziel and other men of rank, awaited the messenger from 
Cestius, and escorted him to the Temple, after the cap- 
tain, with one attendant only, had gone through the city, 
according to the advice of King Agrippa, to test the spirit 
of the people; and finding all men quiet and peaceably 
disposed, the captain said to Aziel, — 
find no rioters among this people.” 

“The populace are well disposed,” responded Aziel; 
“ T is but the treacherous dealings of Floras which incense 
them.” 

will bear thy saying to Cestius,” said the captain, as 
he courteously departed. 

Then King Agrippa assembled the Jews upon Mount 
Moriah, and spake to them of Eome’s great power, and 
persuaded them to rebel not against such a formidable 
antagonist; and King Agrippa and Queen Berenice, his 
sister, lifted up their voices and wept, and with tears 
besought the people to desist from riot. 

The multitudes were much moved, and indeed it was a 
pathetic sight to behold the king and queen in tears, and 
the glorious Temple standing there as symbol of the 
Almighty God, who had said: “Vengeance is Mine!” 
And near the queen stood many Jewish matrons, and 
lovely Jewish maidens, among whom were Miriam and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


183 


Jessica; and Miriam gazed with pride upon her father 
Ananus, as he replied with dignity to the words of King 
Agrippa, — 

^‘We war not against the Eomans, but against Florus, 
for the wrong that he hath done to us.” 

Whereupon Agrippa politically made answer, knowing 
well the truth of the words of Ananus, yet still desiring 
to avoid a conflict with Eome and Nero, through whom he 
held his present province, — 

‘‘Your tribute ye have not paid, and ye have broken 
down the cloisters between the Tower of Antonia and the 
Temple. These things ye have done not against Florus, 
but against Caesar. If ye would not war against Eome, 
do ye build again the cloisters, and pay your tribute.” 

The people hearkened to this advice from the king, and 
promised to repair the cloisters, which perchance would 
have ended the excitement, but for other events. 

And now the mother of Aziel sickened and died, which, 
at the time, caused the young man much sorrow; but as 
events shortly transpired, he was afterwards comforted in 
his bereavement, by the thought that his beloved mother 
was spared the bitter experiences which befell the Jews 
of Jerusalem. 

Now it came to pass that Eleazar, son of Ananias, the 
High Priest, being a bold and determined young man, 
persuaded numbers of the people that they should not 
receive any offerings from foreigners, and that they should 
not sacrifice in honor of Caesar. This was the true begin- 
ning of the war with the Eomans. As Eleazar was 
governor of the Temple, he had much influence with a 
seditious class of Jews, who were eager for any riot which 
might give them an opportunity to display their intense 
hatred of their Eoman rulers, whom they deemed tyran- 
nical oppressors. 


184 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Ananias, the High Priest, together with the Jewish 
princes, and many of the chief priests, among whom was 
Ananus, the father of Miriam, and certain Pharisees of 
renown in the city, being members of the Sanhedrin, 
including Berachiah, the father of Aziel, took counsel 
together concerning the danger which this rebellion 
threatened to bring upon Jerusalem; for being men of 
calm judgments, and considering, also, the formidable 
power of Eome, they thought it the better part of valor 
not to rebel, but to exercise caution and a wise policy in 
dealing with so strong and vindictive a foe. 

These chief men, therefore, sent messengers to Plorus, 
and to King Agrippa, when they found that their advice 
to the Zealots, under Eleazar, availed nothing, and they 
besought Florus and Agrippa that they should send 
soldiers to Jerusalem to awe the rebels into submission, 
hoping thereby to avoid bloodshed. 

Hitherto the Komans had omitted to occupy Jerusalem 
with an armed force, partly out of respect to the Jews, 
and partly from policy; for the Jews inspired even Eome 
with superstitious fear, owing to their marvellous stories 
of the power of their God Jehovah, and much awe was 
manifested even among the Eoman soldiers, when they 
faced the majestic Temple, and listened with incredulous 
wonder to the accounts of the mysteries connected with 
the unseen Holy of Holies. 

A cohort of Eoman soldiers occupied the Tower of 
Antonia, but such a small force was powerless amidst the 
seditious multitudes. King Agrippa, holding his tetrarchy 
by the will of the Caesars, had been made by the Eomans 
a sort of spy in the watch-tower of his palace, which 
overlooked the Temple, and the great Xystus, where the 
people gathered for business or intrigue. The Jews, as 


THE DOOM OP THE HOLY CITY. 


185 


has already been said, had raised the walls of the Sanc- 
tuary to shut out their sacred precincts from foreign 
observation ; and with the Zealots Agrippa was unpopular. 
So great had been the dislike manifested towards the 
king, that he had lived for some months in one of his 
palaces in Berytus. 

It was at this time that Aziel, with his father, 
Berachiah, arrived one afternoon at the house of Ananus, 
on Zion’s Hill. The Zealots, under Eleazar, held the 
Temple, and the chief men of Jerusalem waited anxiously 
for the troops for which appeal had been made to Florus 
and Agrippa. 

“Hast thou heard aught from the king?” questioned 
Ananus of Berachiah, as the friends were welcomed by 
Miriam and her father. 

“Florus has paid no heed to our request,” replied 
Berachiah, ‘‘but King Agrippa has promised us three 
thousand horsemen.” 

“I like not this silence of Florus,” said Ananus; 
“methinks it gives color to the rumor that he desires this 
rebellion, and would be well pleased to see Koine and 
Jerusalem at war.” 

“Such inference is well founded,” interjected Aziel 
“This procurator has caused grievous mischief, and by 
contrast with his cruelties, even Albinus was to be 
commended.” 

“Are the Sicarii again abroad?” asked Miriam; “I 
fear much for my father when he is engaged in his sacred 
offices in the Temple , for these men of the dagger respect 
no place, and commit murder even on the steps of the 
Temple itself.” 

“This system of private assassination organized by the 
Zealots,” remarked Aziel, “is one of the gravest dangers 


186 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


which threaten our chief men. The conspirators meet 
under oath in secret, choose the victims, who in turn are 
to be sacrificed, and take advantage of our feast days, or 
public festivals, to mingle with the crowds, with daggers 
concealed under their garments, and give the fatal thrust 
ere one is aware of the presence of an enemy. I also fear 
much for my father, from this cause.’’ 

“Beware also thyself,” said Miriam, with a persuasive 
smile, as she turned her dark eyes upon the face of her 
young friend; ‘^remember, thou too art a mark for their 
daggers,” she added, with loving anxiety betrayed by the 
tremor in her voice, and a slight quiver of her mobile lips. 

have heard of thy daring patriotism, and also of thy 
prudent recommendation of respect to ruling powers, and 
the Zealots like not one who professes patriotism, and 
yet counsels obedience to Caesar.” 

“From what I have heard Aziel say of this same 
Caesar,” exclaimed Jessica, wot it is no love for 
ISTero, but love for Jerusalem, which gives him caution; 
methinks he would fight with right good-will against so 
great a monster, could it be done without danger to Jeru- 
salem, and the Holy Temple.” 

‘‘Thou art right, little one,” averred Aziel. “This 
Caesar I loathe with hottest hatred, and yet, ’tis true I 
counsel moderation, for Caesar is Home, and Borne means 
those powerful legions which have conquered the world.” 

“I agree with thee,” answered Ananus. “Better bear 
the Eoman rule, if we must, than attempt rebellion, and 
have our proud city and noble Temple laid in the*dust. I 
had thought the Messiah would have come ere this, to 
deliver us from Eoman rule, but we must patiently wait 
His coming,” he said, sadly. 

“I believe the Messiah has already come,” declared 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


187 


Aziel; ‘‘and I am convinced the Christ was He, and that 
through Him we shall receive, not earthly freedom from 
the Roman yoke, but through His Perfect Life, and 
Atoning Death, and Miraculous Resurrection, we may 
already have spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin, 
and the hope of immortal glory in the world beyond.” 

As Aziel uttered these fervent words, his voice became 
eloquent with persuasive love, and his blue eyes glowed 
with a light which beams only on the face of a Christian. 
Ananus gravely shook his head in silence, and Berachiah 
murmured, — 

“I wish I could believe as Aziel does! My beloved 
wife was also of his faith; but to me it is not yet clear, 
though I am willing to confess I marvel at this Christ 
more and more, and shudder when I remember the cry of 
my countrymen , ‘ Crucify him ! his blood be on us and on 
our children I ’ If He was indeed the Divine Son of 
Jehovah, I question much if this Jerusalem may not yet 
be destroyed, as the Hazarene declared.” 

“If that should come to pass,” reflected Ananus, “if 
Jerusalem be destroyed, and Jehovah^s Holy Temple is 
overturned, then will I acknowledge the claims of the 
Nazarene, and conjecture that such terrible retribution 
had fallen on our nation as the inevitable result of the 
rejection of the Truth. But while the Temple stands, I 
wait still for the Messiah of the Jews.” 

This conversation was interrupted by a commotion in 
the streets without. Hastening to the brow of Zion’s 
Hill, they beheld the troops, sent by Agrippa, fighting 
their way through the crowds of rebels filling the Xystus 
below in the Valley of the Tyropoeon. Commanding 
Miriam and Jessica to seek the safety of their home, 
Ananus followed Aziel and Berachiah, who had started 


188 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


to join the chief men and Jewish princes, who, with the 
High Priest, Ananias, and members of the Sanhedrin, 
were gathering in the streets of the Upper City, on Zion^s 
Hill. And there also the soldiers of Agrippa, having 
routed the bands of rebels, and forced them to retreat to 
the Temple, occupied by Eleazar and his Zealots, came 
shortly and aided the chief men of Jerusalem in maintain- 
ing their position on Zion’s Hill. 

And then began a series of sorties lasting for seven days. 
Now the Zealots sallied forth from the Temple and attacked 
the troops; then again the soldiers threw darts into the 
Lower City, even approaching the Temple itself; but so 
strong were the Temple walls, that neither stone nor dart 
made much impression on its bulwarks; but when the 
Zealots made excursions from their stronghold, the troops 
met them in hand-to-hand congests, and while the rebels 
were superior in boldness, the king’s soldiers were superior 
in skill. 

Thus the conflict waged for seven days, and neither side 
had yet gained the advantage. But upon the eighth day, 
which was the festival of Xylophory, or Wood-carrying, 
on which day it was the custom for every Jew to bring 
wood for the altar that the sacred fire might be kept per- 
petually burning, the Zealots prevented the remainder of 
the people from performing this religious service; and 
having admitted to their ranks many of the Sicarii, they 
grew bolder, and attacked the troops with such fury that 
the king’s soldiers were overpowered by their multitude 
and frenzy. Thereupon the Zealots gained access to the 
city on Zion’s Hill, and set fire to the house of Ananias, 
the High Priest, and also to the palaces of Agrippa and 
Berenice, and other notable buildings. They also fired 
the archives of the city and destroyed the records in which 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


189 


were written the names of those who owed aught to the 
money-lenders. This they did that they might gain the 
favor of the multitude, that every man thus freed from 
debt might thenceforth be their partisan. 

Then did the Zealots rush to the Towner of Antonia, and 
as it was guarded by only a small cohort of Eoman soldiers, 
it was quickly taken, and those who kept it were slain. 
Afterward they laid siege to the palace of Herod, which 
siege continued for several days. 

It was the Sabbath day, and still the Zealots held the 
Temple, and prevented the usual religious ceremonies. 
And it came to pass at the first watch of the night, being 
the hours between sunset and nine o’clock in the evening, 
that Aziel came with hot haste to the house of Ananus, 
bearing portentous news. 

Miriam and Jessica had remained all day in intense 
anxiety, not knowing what fate might befall their father 
and friends in these troublous times. As they beheld Aziel 
approaching, they ran to meet him. 

^Hs father safe? ” cried Miriam. 

“Yea, thanks be to Jehovah! our fathers are both thus 
far safe,” responded Aziel; but his overshadowed face and 
weary manner, denoted that some ill had fallen upon the 
city. 

“What evil tidings hast thou, Aziel? ” demanded Jessica, 
with some importunity, now that she knew that her father 
was free from harm. 

“This day am I ashamed to be a Jew of Jerusalem!” 
sighed Aziel; “for our fellow-citizens have greatly dis- 
honored us.” 

“Why speakest thou thus?” asked Miriam, with sym- 
pathizing voice, denoting the share she bore in any sorrow 
that might come to the heart of her friend. 


190 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


“I will relate the disgraceful story,” said Aziel. “Thou 
knewest that the Zealots had laid siege to the palace of 
Herod, and when they could not take it, they made an 
agreement with the soldiers of King Agrippa, that they 
should come forth and suffer no injury; hut to the Komans 
they would give no promise of safety. The Eoman soldiers 
thereupon fled to the three towers of Herod, — Hippicus, 
Pharsaelus, and Mariamne. Being, however, reduced to 
great straits for food, the Eomans agreed to surrender 
and lay down their arms, providing their lives be spared. 
To this the Zealots agreed, and when the Eoman soldiers, 
believing in the good faith of the Jews, came forth and 
laid down their arms, thus placing themselves at the mercy 
of their enemies, expecting the bond of agreement to be 
honorably kept, as becometh noble warriors, to the last- 
ing disgrace of Jerusalem, the Zealots no sooner perceived 
their enemies without arms, than they fell upon them and 
slaughtered every Eoman, save only their captain, who 
promised to become a Jewish proselyte. And this ignoble 
deed was committed even on the Holy Sabbath Day, which 
devout Jews hold in such high reverence.” 

Just then Ananus entered the house, and greeting his 
daughters with tearful eyes, he murmured, while he rent 
his priestly robe, in sign of deep distress, — 

“Verily, my children, this day has Israel been dis- 
honored, and the Holy Sabbath of Jehovah most grievously 
desecrated! Never did I think these aged eyes would be 
forced to look upon the profanation of the sacred Sanctuary 
of the Lord God Almighty, — the God of Abraham, of 
Isaac, and of Jacob! Methinks, perchance, this is the 
awful retribution for the Jews’ rejection of His Divine 
Son; for if the Nazarene were indeed the Messiah, Jeru- 
salem must yet see greater afflictions ! ” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


191 


CHAPTEE XII. 

CESTIUS MAECHES AGAINST JERUSALEM. — WOE TO JERU- 
SALEM. WHEREFORE SHOULD THE TEMPLE BE DE- 
STROYED? VESPASIAN APPOINTED COMMANDER OF THE 

ROMAN FORCES. 

When tidings of these affairs were brought to Cestius, he 
determined to march against the Zealots in Jerusalem. 
He summoned the twelfth legion of Roman soldiers, and 
the three kings, Agrippa, Antiochus, and Sohemus, fur- 
nished twelve thousand men, of whom the half were expert 
archers. His Roman troops were both horse and foot 
soldiers, and he was accompanied by King Agrippa. 

Cestius having burnt several cities on his way thither, 
and put the Jews dwelling there to the sword, reached 
Gabao, which place is six miles distant from Jerusalem. 
Here he encamped. But the Zealots, having been joined 
by many turbulent fellows, and now being very bold on 
account of their numbers, rushed forth from the city, and 
attacked the Roman camp ; and so fierce was their on- 
slaught, that but for the aid of the horsemen, Cestius and 
his forces would have been routed. As it was, five hun- 
dred and fifteen of the Romans were slain; but of the 
Jews, two-and-twenty only. Pleased with their partial 
victory, the Zealots retired to the city. 

Kow the chief men of Jerusalem, including Ananias, the 
High Priest, and Berachiah and Aziel, and Ananus, the 
father of Miriam, together with the members of the San- 
hedrin, belonged to the moderate party, and denounced 


192 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


this seditious rebellion of the Zealots, which threatened 
destruction to their beloved Jerusalem. But the multi- 
tudes were led by the Zealots, and listened not to the 
advice of these men of note; and as the Zealots held the 
Temple and the Lower City on Mount Moriah, this moderate 
party was forced to seek safety on Zion’s Hill, in the 
Upper City. 

As the house of the High Priest had been burned, the 
chief men met for counsel in the house of Ananus. Here 
they were assembled after the attack of the Zealots upon 
the Homan camp at Gabao. 

Overtures came from King Agrippa, to-day,” said 
Aziel, who had just returned from seeking news in the 
city. 

‘‘What answer was sent him?” eagerly inquired 
Berachiah. 

“Another disgrace has been laid upon Jerusalem,” re- 
sponded Aziel, sadly. “What think ye?” he continued, 
with increasing indignation; “Agrippa sent to the Zealots 
Borceus and Phebus, as ambassadors best known to them, 
hoping thereby to persuade them to desist from fighting; 
and through these ambassadors Agrippa promised that 
Cestius should give them his right hand, in token of the 
Homans’ forgiveness of what they had already done amiss, 
if they would cast away their arms, and come over to him. 
For Agrippa hoped that some would hearken to his words. 
And this the Zealots fearing, they seized the ambassadors 
before they could utter a word; and Phebus they slew’, 
and wounded Borceus so that he barely escaped by flight. 
And now has Cestius moved on towards Jerusalem, and is 
even now encamped on the hill Scopus, just without the 
northern wall, distant seven furlongs from Jerusalem.” 

And now, for a time, we must leave the Upper City, on 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


193 


Zion’s Hill, and cross over to Mount Moriah, where we 
can more closely observe the manoeuvres of the Zealots. 
Within the outer courts of the sacred Temple were 
gathered crowds of turbulent rebels, ripe for any sedition, 
eager for blood and rapine. Eleazar and a few of his 
associates may be allowed, peradventure, some higher 
motives of supposed patriotism, and were, perchance, 
excited with what seemed to them righteous zeal ; but in 
carrying out their daring projects, they held nothing 
sacred, and soon found themselves joined to hordes of 
robbers, and rebels, and reckless rioters, restrained by 
no principle, and recognizing neither civil nor religious 
rights. 

Then arose much commotion in the ranks of the Zealots , 
upon the rumor gaining ground that Ananias, the High 
Priest, and other of the chief men of the city, were about 
to open the gates of Jerusalem to Cestius and the Koman 
eagles. Eleazar was at this time counselling with the 
leaders of his rebel bands within the outer court of the 
Temple, when certain of his spies burst in upon them, 
exclaiming, — 

“Go to, ye men of Jerusalem! Why wait ye here idle, 
when, peradventure, Ananias has already treacherously 
opened to Cestius the gates of the Upper City?” 

Whereupon there was a great outcry, and the wrath of 
the rebels waxed hot, neither did they wait for orders, but 
rushed forth from the Temple ; and were joined by hordes 
of idlers from the Xystus, who wot not for what purpose 
they sallied forth, and who would have joined the moderate 
party as heartily against the Zealots, as now they joined 
the rebels against the chief men of politic and conservative 
views, being that part of a city’s rabble ready for any 
riot, irrespective of person or party. These crowds having 

13 


194 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


SO swelled the ranks of the Zealots as to give them bold- 
ness to attack, the frenzied multitudes rushed forthwith 
across the king’s causeway, which separated Mount Moriah 
from Mount Zion, and proceeded ruthlessly to fire and 
plunder the royal residences, and with hot haste to cry out 
against the High Priest, Ananias, and the chief men of the 
city, whose wise measures would fain have restrained this 
riotous rush of the insensate populace. 

Miriam and Jessica, beholding from their terraced roof 
this horde of wild ruffians brandishing clubs and stones, 
and all kinds of weapons upon which they could lay their 
eager hands, stood with blanched faces, clinging to each 
other in mute agony. 

Behold the petted women of these soft lords ! ” cried a 
burly rebel, seizing a stone and winging it up towards the 
terrified maidens. But the missile only struck a crystal 
vase, and shattered it to atoms, while the mob passed on, 
crying out against Ananias. 

As the throng receded in the distance, Aziel was seen 
by the sisters ascending the outer stairway of the house, 
and was quickly at their side. 

‘‘Are the fathers safe?” asked Jessica, with white 
cheeks and trembling lips. 

“Yea, both are safe,” responded Aziel, trying by word 
and manner to reassure the frightened maidens j and seeing 
the demolished vase, he exclaimed, — 

“Thanks be to Jehovah! that stone was not so aimed 
as to strike either of you.” 

“ But it has destroyed my favorite vase ! ” pouted 
Jessica, childlike easing her pent-up agony by a sportive 
outbreak. 

“Well, vases can be mended with new ones,” laughed 
Aziel j “but broken heads are not so easily repaired.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


195 


‘‘What is the news, Aziel?’’ inquired Miriam; for she, 
with keener insight than J essica, had perceived, in spite 
of his assumed cheerfulness, that evil did betide. 

“I have, indeed, ill news,” sighed Aziel, knowing he 
could no longer keep them in ignorance of events, and 
hoping, as their present fears were somewhat allayed, that 
they would receive the tidings with greater composure. 

“Fear not to speak,” rejoined Miriam, displaying re- 
newed calmness in voice and manner. 

“The Zealots have captured the High Priest Ananias, 
who had taken refuge in the aqueduct of the palace, and 
they have slaughtered him and his brother, and others of 
our chief men. And now am I come to consult about 
measures for thy greater safety; and as thy father, Ananus, 
and my father, Berachiah, are even now at the door, we 
can all the more speedily determine the matter.” 

Ananus and Berachiah ascended straightway to the roof- 
bower. As they reached the balcony, a cry rang out on 
the evening air, shrill, mournful, and awesome, which 
hlled the listeners with startled dread. 

“Woe! woe to Jerusalem! Woe to the city and to the 
people, and to the Holy House ! A voice from the East, a 
voice from the West, a voice from the four winds, a voice 
against Jerusalem and the Holy House; a voice against 
the bridegrooms and the brides; and a voice against this 
whole people! Woe, woe to Jerusalem! ” 

“Again that terrible prophet! ” exclaimed Miriam. 

“I answered thee once, my child, regarding this same 
cry,” said Ananus, “that it was probably some lunatic 
from the mountains ; but now I perceive that this is indeed 
a message from Jehovah. Verily the curse has fallen. 
Would to God we had taken warning two years since, 
when first we heard this ominous cry ! ” 


196 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Would, rather, that our people had not rejected the 
Christ!^’ reverently reflected Aziel. 

Again that bodeful wail thrilled through the quivering 
ether. Above the restless city, riotous and red with blood, 
sailed the serene moon, symbolizing, in its placid silver 
sheen, the calm rest of those souls lifted above earth's 
turmoils, reposing in eternal tranquillity in the recognized 
love and omnipotent power of their Heavenly Father. 

For a time there was silence on that moon-lit roof, each 
heart battling with the emotions awakened by that direful 
dirge. Miriam had thrown herself upon the divan, with 
head lifted towards the heavens, while Jessica knelt upon 
the hassock, with face buried in the cushions at her sister’s 
side. Aziel stood a little apart, with gaze riveted upon 
the Hill of Calvary, where had shone that glorified Cross; 
while Berachiah sat upon a Persian tabouret, with face 
bowed in his hands, and his long gray locks sweeping his 
lap, while his robe of sackcloth, and the fresh ashes upon 
his linen turban, denoted his great grief. Ananus stood 
erect, with hands spread towards the Holy Temple. The 
tears fell fast upon his snowy beard, white as that of 
Moses, while his High Priest garments made known that 
upon him had fallen the choice of the Sanhedrin, to take 
the office left vacant by the murdered Ananias. 

Aziel was the first to recover his composure, and turning 
to Ananus, he said, — 

‘‘Rememberest thou not, how the Christ did say, — 

‘‘‘ When ye therefore shall see the abomination of deso- 
lation , spoken of by Daniel, the prophet, stand in the holy 
place: and when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with 
armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 
Then let them which are in the midst of it depart out; 
and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


197 


For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which 
are written may be fulfilled. There shall be great distress 
in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall 
fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive 
into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of 
the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 
Verily, I say unto you, there shall not be left here one 
stone upon another that shall not be thrown down; for 
then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the 
beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be.’ 

am informed by the Jewish Christians,” continued 
Aziel, ^^that they believe this prophecy of the Christ is 
now being fulfilled ; for we see the ‘ Abomination of desola- 
tion, ’ even the idolatrous Roman armies, with the images 
of their gods in their ensigns, even now standing in the 
holy place, and Jerusalem is encompassed with armies, 
and the time is now come when Christians should flee to 
the mountains. Already have many of Jerusalem Chris- 
tians fled to the mountains of Perea, and, peradventure, 
for this very providential reason , Cestius delays his attack 
on the city, that under the providence of Jehovah, those 
who have faith in His Divine Son may be spared this 
coming destruction. I would ask of you all, shall not we 
also, while there is yet time, follow the Christians into the 
mountains of Perea? ” 

^^Nay, verily!” rejoined Ananus. ‘‘Thou dost see that 
the Sanhedrin have laid upon me the charge of this Holy 
City, as Jehovah’s High Priest. While the Temple stands, 
my duty is in Jerusalem, though Roman legions threaten, 
and the abomination of desolation encompasses this ancient 
city of God.” 

“And to that I also agree,” said Berachiah, lifting his 
head from his trembling hands. “ Though I am no High 


198 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Priest, I am a Pharisee of the Pharisees, and hold naught 
so dear as this Jerusalem the Beautiful, and the Temple 
of Elohim- Jehovah ! ’’ 

^‘What sayest thou, Miriam, my daughter?” inquired 
Ananus. Peradventure Aziel counselleth well on thy 
account and for the sake of thy tender sister.” 

“While my father is High Priest in Jerusalem,” re- 
sponded Miriam, with flashing eyes and glowing cheeks, 
“my place is ever at his side.” 

“And while my father remains in the Holy City, though 
one stone should not be left upon another,” declared Aziel, 
“ there, too, will I abide ! ” 

“And am I left out?” cried Jessica; “know then, verily, 
though Koman eagles shall spread their accursed wings on 
every side of Jerusalem, the Beloved City of God, while 
my father and my sister are here, though all others flee to 
the mountains, yet will not I ! ” 

“Bless the courageous child! ” exclaimed old Eachel, as 
she followed the coming of her master with the customary 
golden cups of wine, borne by her upon a silver salver, 
upon which were also ruby glass dishes filled with grapes 
and figs and pomegranates. She carried them to her 
master’s guests, saying, — 

“Though Eoman hosts do encamp on Scopus, while one 
lives, one must eat and drink.” 

And friends and host lifted the goblets to their lips, 
pledging to each other their steadfast fealty to their 
country and to their God. 

Then Aziel, gazing again towards Calvary, spake in 
half re very, while all were silent, awed by his solemn 
words, — 

“Proud Caesar sat enthroned in royal state. Lord of the 
Imperial Empire of the world! While by the Lake of 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


199 


Galilee, there stood One, who in majesty outranked great 
Jove. And to the one, the world gave the bended knee, 
but to the Nazarene, a crown of thorns. Well might the 
earth shake with tumultuous heart! Well might the sun 
be darkened, and the day hide its accustomed light! Well 
might the thunder roar in tones of woe! Well might 
both earth and heaven start back aghast, before such a 
spectacle of awful crime ! — The King of Kings uplifted on 
the Cross! In Kome, the world bowed before the empty 
shrine of an exploded myth of Jupiter; while in Jeru- 
salem they mocked the Son of God Almighty, and dared 
to nail Him to a cross of ignominious shame! Jesus or 
Jupiter ? Choose ye this day, was the offer made to man. 
A myth of wrath, hurling back thunderbolts of hate, and 
grim freaks of chance, upon distracted mortals, powerless 
to prevent, to whom death was the only succor — such was 
Kome’s religion and hope. 

^^Or will ye have the Christ, Saviour Divine, sent forth 
from high heaven for man’s salvation? Such was the 
offer to Jerusalem. For answer, behold the Cross on 
Calvary! while Caesar bows to Capitoline Jove! 

“Mark well the sequel! Shall that Temple stand, which 
failed to know the Great Jehovah’s Son? Upreared in 
homage to Almighty God, and casting forth His Well 
Beloved Son! Shall that Jerusalem be left unbowed, 
which drove the Lord of Glory from its gates? Shall 
that proud nation of the Jews be spared, which dyed its 
cruel hands in Jesus’ blood? Methinks the knell of the 
Holy City’s doom has rung upon the ages. The hour has 
struck, and the blow has fallen! ” 

‘‘Elohim- Jehovah, grant that thy words be not a true 
prophecy, my son!” sobbed Berachiah, rending his sack- 
cloth robe; ^‘but if the Hazarene be Christ, as thou dost 


200 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


claiii], woe indeed be to Jerusalem, and to the Holy 
House, and to the people! But how knowest thou that 
the Hazarene is the Christ?” 

^^You remember, father, in our Torah, in the Book called 
Genesis, the story of Creation is given twice.” 
have often wondered wherefore, my son.” 

‘‘For this reason, father, as it seems to me, that the 
Christ might be therein more plainly revealed.” 

“And how is that, Aziel, my son? Thou art more 
learned than I in the writings of the Eabbis, and, perad- 
venture, thou hast found there some statement which 
inclines thee to this strange belief.” 

“Nay, father; it was not in the learning of the Eabbis 
that I was taught this mighty truth, but in diligent 
searching of the Scriptures, as the Master, Christ, com- 
manded of those who would learn of Him ; and thus was 
the Truth revealed to me.” 

“Tell us, Aziel, more fully of your search,” said Ananus; 
“for though I am a High Priest of Jehovah, I have not 
found the Christ in the story of Creation, as given in the 
Torah.” 

“In the first chapter of Genesis the account is given, 
wherein the Creator is declared to be God-Elohim.” 

“I agree with thee, Aziel,” rejoined Ananus; “ that is 
called the Elohistic account, and our Eabbis give the 
distinction between Elohim and Jehovah thus: ‘While 
Elohim exhibits God displayed in His power as the Creator 
and Governor of the spiritual universe, the name Jehovah 
designates His nature as He stands in relation to man. 
God announced Himself to Moses as the “ I AM THAT 
I AM,” — Jehovah.’” 

“And Christ declared,” interjected Aziel, “‘Verily, 
verily I say unto you, before Abraham was I AM,’ or 
Jehovah.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


201 


“Where findest thou that saying, my son?’’ inquired 
Berachiah, adding to Ananus, “That was, forsooth, a 
strange and awesome claim indeed.” 

“Those words of the Christ are written in the Gospel 
scrolls, penned by his disciples,” answered Aziel; “and 
for this cause I have made renewed study of our Torah, as 
written by Moses, and with reverent awe I received the 
light as revealed in the sacred pages of the Holy Book; 
and thus the interpretation came to me. As I have said, 
the first account in Genesis gives the description of Creation 
as performed by God-Elohim. But I also found in the 
Gospels these words: ‘In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
All things were made by Him, and without Him was not 
anything made that was made. And the Word was made 
flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the 
glory as of the only begotten of the Father) , full of grace 
and truth.’ Now, in confirmation of this, Christ declared 
himself to be the ‘I AM,’ — Jehovah; and in the second 
chapter of Genesis the account is given wherein the Creator 
is declared to be ‘ The Lord God,’ which title, in the most 
ancient copies of our Hebrew Torah, is designated by the 
word Jehovah, so that the names. Lord God, Jehovah, 
Christ, all refer to the manifestation of God the Father, 
in Christ the Son.” 

“If that be so, my son, would that our Kabbis had 
studied more deeply in our Torah; then, perad venture, 
they would not have crucified the Nazarene, if thy inter- 
pretation of the Holy Book be truth. What thinkest thou, 
Ananus, was the sin of man as interpreted from the 
description of man’s fall, as given in our Torah?” 

“Man’s sin was disobedience,” replied the High Priest, 
Ananus. “The disobedience of man, from which sprang 


202 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


all evils, sin, sickness, and death, was not created by God, 
for no evil can come from perfect good; but forgiveness 
is the highest manifestation of perfect love, and without 
the permission of evil, God’s love would have had no oppor- 
tunity to exercise its highest function of forgiveness.” 

‘‘Would not that seemingly cast reflection upon 
Jehovah?” asked Berachiah; “to permit evil that His 
greatest perfection might be manifested thereby?” 

“I take it not so,” replied Aziel; “man makes his own 
evil. God having endowed man with free will, the 
decrees of Jehovah are unchangeable, and man’s choice 
of evil did not annul Jehovah’s previous decree of free 
will; as another puts it plainly: ‘ Christ came to show us 
that the world had never belonged to the powers of evil, 
but that in His original thought God had decided that a 
moral world should be created; and that in this decision, 
which gave to man the choice of good and evil. He had to 
take upon Himself infinite suffering until the world should 
be brought back to Him. The redemption of the world 
by Christ is part of the creation of the world by Christ.’ 
The Christ declares the truth plainly in His parable of the 
Prodigal Son,” continued Aziel. “The forgiveness of that 
Father did not imply that in order to manifest this sur- 
passing love He had caused the son to fall into the evil. 
The son chose the evil, and must consequently choose also 
to return to his Father; but the forgiveness was so full, 
that the Father even went out to meet him while he was 
yet a great way off. The forgiveness of the Father im- 
plied also not the condoning of the sin in the prodigal, 
but the destruction of sin, thereby transforming him into 
his former state of obedience, which re-instated him in his 
Father’s household. This transforming and re-instating 
of misguided man is the Divine Mission of Christ.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


203 


^^The sayings of the Nazarene are passing strange, my 
son,’’ said Berachiah; Would I had listened to thy 
mother when she prayed me to read the Gospel scroll ! ” 

“The words of the Nazarene, father, are the words of 
the Christ, the I AM — Jehovah — God, and must indeed 
hold mighty mysteries to finite men.” 

“How dost thou account, my son, for all these myriad 
evils that have come to the human race?” 

“ I cannot altogether solve the mighty problem, father, 
but thus it seems to me. All this long train of evils came 
from man’s choosing to disobey God; and in His infinite 
love and mercy, God overrules even those very evils for 
the good of those who love and obey Him.” 

“What thinkest thou of evil, Aziel?” asked Ananus. 

“It seemeth to me,” answered Aziel, “that all evil may 
be traced to self-love, or the misappropriation of God’s 
good gifts. All kinds of sin, if traced back, may be found 
to be a good made evil by an immoderate use in self- 
worship. Thus, selfishness is centring on self the love 
due to God and our fellow-men; miserliness is prudence 
carried to a selfish immoderation; drunkenness is im- 
moderate appetite, which, in its God-ordained office, sup- 
plies our physical bodies with necessary food; immoderate 
generosity runs to prodigality, and so on, through the lists 
of vices and virtues. And the Nazarene said, ^ There is 
nothing from without a man that can defile him ; for from 
within, out the heart of men proceed evil thoughts.’ Paul 
also, in his epistles, gives . warning against immoderation. 
Man’s first step downward seems to have been choosing 
self instead of God, and that same point of departure from 
good throws light on the temptation of Eve, as narrated in 
our Torah, which is also referred to in the sacred writings, 
called by the Christians the New Testament, parts of 


204 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


which I have seen, written by the disciples of the Nazarene, 
and by Paul, the apostle. Some hold that the account in 
our Torah of Eden is a Divine allegory, as were the 
parables of the Nazarene, instead of a literal history. 
That self is the starting-point of sin seems to be verified 
by the declaration of the Nazarene, when He summed up 
the whole duty of man : ‘ Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first 
commandment. And the second is like, namely this, — 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none 
other commandment greater than these. ^ ” 

‘^Our Torah teaches such love to God,” said Ananus; 
“butmethinks the Nazarene sets forth stronger this love 
to our fellow-men. And, verily, those words of the Christ 
reveal to me a stupendous thought, — even God^s love is 
not self-centred, but goes forth to the limitless needs of 
His Creation.” 

Yea, ” answered Aziel, “ only selfishness is self-centred ; 
all love goes forth to others. God’s love wraps the uni- 
verse in its Infinite glory, and in the smaller domains 
of nature ; the sun gives forth, else there would be no rays 
of warmth and light; the flowers give forth, else there 
would be no perfume to make fragrant the summer breeze; 
the earth and the sea give forth, else there would be no 
food for man and beasts ; and naught but men and devils 
bow at the shrine of self which was the starting-point 
of sin.” 

“How dost thou harmonize the permission of evil with 
the holiness of God, my son?” asked Berachiah. 

‘Ht seemeth to me thus, father. God having decided to 
give man free will, that would necessitate power of choice 
between self-will and God’s will. Had there been no free 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


205 


will given to man, he would have had innocence; but his 
obedience to God would have been compulsory, and thereby 
God would not have been so highly honored as by volun- 
tary free-will worship, and man would not have experienced 
the testing from which results character. It seemeth to 
me that God places character even higher than innocence, 
for the Epistles of Paul, and the writings of John, the 
disciple of the Christ, place the saints redeemed through 
the Christ, who have endured to the end through great 
tribulations, higher in glory than the angels who have 
perfect innocence, but who have never been tested by resist- 
ance to temptation and victory over the world, the flesh, 
and the devil.’’ 

“ Thinkest thou that God sends upon man the evils by 
means of which the character of man is tested?” asked 
Ananus. 

^^Nay, verily,” replied Aziel; ^^for that would make 
God the creator of evil, whereas God is our Deliverer from 
evil. The miracles and declarations of the Christ make 
these truths plain. Sin, sickness, and death are not from 
God, but from Satan. For when Christ healed the woman 
who had a spirit of infirmity. He replied to the fault- 
finding ruler of the synagogue: ^ Ought not this woman, 
being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, 
lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the 
Sabbath day?’ If God the Father had bound this woman 
by sickness, would God the Son have unloosed her?” 

“ Thou speakest a deep thought, my son,” said Berachiah. 
“If the Nazarene were God incarnate, that declaration 
would refute the general opinion that God sends sickness.” 

And seest thou not also, father, that the same power in 
the Christ healed both sin and sickness?” 

“It is not clear to me, my son; I have not noted the 
miracles of the Nazarene as I should.” 


206 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Thou rememberest the palsied man, father? ” responded 
Aziel; “when the bed on which he lay was let down 
through the roof in the midst of the crowd surrounding 
the Nazarene, Christ said to the sick : ‘ Thy sins be for- 
given thee ! ’ and when the scribes reasoned in their 
hearts objectingly, Jesus^ knowing their thoughts, said: 
^Whether is easier to say, thy sins be forgiven thee; or 
to say. Arise, take up thy bed and walk? But that ye may 
know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive 
sins (He saith to the sick of the palsy) , I say unto thee 
arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way;” and imme- 
diately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth.’ It 
seemeth to me to be here clearly proved that the healing 
of sin is healing of sickness in us also, by Christ; and we 
obtain both health and holiness in proportion to our 
appropriation by faith of the Perfect Eedemption of both 
body and soul by the Divine Christ. This point I find 
Paul makes very clear in his Epistles, which I have lately 
studied.” 

“I have not read the Gospel scrolls,” said Ananus. 

^^Not only by example does Christ work in us,” resumed 
Aziel; “but by the imparting to our souls of the Holy 
Spirit, the promised Comforter, who empowers us to be 
born again into the spiritual kingdom of God, by being 
transformed in the likeness of Christ, and becoming at 
length perfect, like unto the Father.” 

“That is a strange doctrine, to be born again; did the 
Hazarene teach that?” inquired the High Priest Ananus. 

“Yea, verily,” answered Aziel. “To one of our own 
Eabbis, by name Hicodemus, Jesus the Christ said, 
‘ Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom 
of God.’ ” 

“That is a hard saying, my son,” rejoined Berachiah; 
“what meaneth it to thee?” 


THE DOOM OP THE HOLY CITY. 


207 


^‘From the teachings of the Gospel I gain this light upon 
it/^ answered Aziel. “Paul declares that Jesus Christ 
hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immor- 
tality to light through the Gospel ; therefore it seemeth to 
me that being born again is the new life awakened in us 
by the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit, transforming 
our natures into a likeness of the Christ. Choice lies with 
us. The choice of Christ on our part insures the regenera- 
tive power on His part. We have always been the im- 
mortal sons of God, but Satan hath bound us with the 
fetters of sin, sickness, and death, meanwhile whispering 
the insidious lie that they were God-sent. Then Jesus 
the Christ, God incarnate in the flesh, bursts these Satan- 
made bonds; brings to light our immortality; declares that 
G6d is our Father; casts out sin and sickness; conquers 
death, and offers to all mankind the Father’s welcome to 
the Prodigal, — re-instatement in our immortal inherit- 
ance. Only those will be disinherited at last who refuse 
to return to their Heavenly Father’s Home.” 

“Dost thou find other record of the Hazarene in our 
Holy Torah?” asked Ananus; “if so, ’t is passing strange 
that our learned Eabbis have overlooked it.” 

“Yea, verily,” rejoined Aziel; “I have sought diligently 
in our Sacred Scriptures, and I am filled with amazement 
to discover that the Jehovah-God of our people is, in 
truth, the Christ. Wot ye not how God declared Himself 
to Moses as ^ THE I AM THAT I AM;’ and behold 
Christ declares Himself to be the ^ I AM ’ — the J ehovah 
— ‘before Abraham was.’ Thus is brought to pass that 
saying of the Hazarene: ‘ Search the Scriptures, and they 
are they which testify of Me.’” 

“ If such be the Holy One, crucified by our nation, no 
marvel that the direful doom has fallen, and the wail of 


208 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


woe even now pierces our hearts ! ” murmured Ananus, 
gazing with grief-stricken eyes towards the beloved but 
desecrated Temple. 

“If the Christ were indeed the Jehovah-God, Creator of 
this visible world, what wonder that the sun was darkened, 
and the earth did quake, and the rocks were rent, while 
their Divine Creator was the recipient of such astounding 
indignity from the creatures whom His Divine Love had 
created!’’ said the weeping Berachiah. “Nature veiled 
her face in horror, abashed at such awful deed,” he con- 
tinue*d musingly; “but sinful man dared lift his finite 
hand against the Infinite, if so be this Nazarene were, in 
truth, the promised Messiah.” 

“I have sometimes questioned,” said Aziel, “why so 
many centuries were allowed to pass before Christ was 
revealed to man in Jesus of Nazareth. But when we 
understand that all the Old Testament account is a revela- 
tion of Christ to man, in His manifestation as Jehovah- 
God, we gain a new spiritual perception of the purpose 
of the manifestation of the Jehovah-God of the Old 
Testament in the Christ of the New Testament. 

“God had already revealed Himself as Creator, Law- 
giver, and Governor of the race, in the Jehovah and Lord 
God of the Old Testament; and in Christ manifested in 
the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, God continued His revela- 
tion to man as Saviour and Messiah, making proof of the 
Divinity of the Nazarene by means of the very laws of 
nature which Christ had Himself ordained, when in the 
beginning He manifested the invisible things of the Father 
by means of the visible creation of the Son. 

“And He showed in His miracles that He held those laws 
controlled by His higher spiritual laws, that the eternal 
holds and controls the temporal, is in harmony with it; 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


209 


and He proved by demonstration that of both natural and 
spiritual law, He, Christ, the Jehovah-God, the I AM, the 
Son, was the Creator. Eor the very reason that Christ, 
as Jehovah-God, created the material body as well as the 
spirit of man, could He command the sick, sin-marred 
bodies of suffering humanity, reaping the terrible harvest 
of evils which man’s disobedience had sown, CBe thou 
whole! ’ and straightway the Jehovah-God willed the dis- 
organized atoms into perfect order, which is health. 

As the Nazarene declared that we can know the Father 
only through Himself, the Sou; as He has declared that 
He is Jehovah-God, Creator of the visible universe; as He 
has declared that through Himself only is Eternal Life; 
as He has declared that He is the Way, the Truth, and 
the Life; as time and eternity unite to express His marvel- 
lous Being; as He has challenged the world to convict 
Him of sin; as His character shines the resplendent blaz- 
ing Centre of time and Eternity, earth and heaven, — every 
living thing, all created things, — plants, birds, beasts, 
stars, suns, and men, — must bow responsive to His bidding. 
All nature obeys His laws ; only man dares to defy his 
Divine Creator.” 

Do our prophets make it plain, my son, that this Christ 
was the Creator of this visible universe, and that the 
Father, Elohim, is the invisible God revealed to man 
through Christ His Son? ” 

^‘Yea, father,” answered Aziel; ‘‘both Isaiah and Paul 
make that point very clear, it seems to me.” 

“Where dost thou find that, Aziel?” asked Ananus. 

“In the book of Isaiah it is written thus,” said Aziel: 
“ ‘ For I am the Lord thy God, the holy One of Israel, 
thy Saviour! Every one that is called by my name, for I 
have created him for my glory, I have formed him ; yea. 


14 


210 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


I have made him. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, 
and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know 
and believe me, and understand that I am He : before me 
there was no God formed^ neither shall there be after me. 
I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no 
Saviour.’ ” 

^‘That is a stupendous statement, my son, that there 
was no Godi formed ^ — that is, made visible to man, and 
no man created before the manifestation of God the Father 
in Christ the Son. Didst thou find this in the prophets 
in thy study, Ananus?” 

“I have here the Isaiah scroll,” replied Ananus, as he 
turned to a table near by, and turning it over, he continued; 

Yea, here are the very words quoted by Aziel; it is won- 
derful I never noted them before.” 

“And Paul verifies that statement, when he writes in 
one of his epistles, which I have lately read,” resumed 
Aziel, “ ‘ Who is the image of the invisible God, the first- 
born of every creature. For by Him were all things 
created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible 
and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or 
principalities or powers; all things were created by Him 
and for Him. For it pleased the Father that in Him 
should all fulness dwell. ’ ” 

“Woe be to our nation, who crucified that Holy One!” 
murmured Ananus. 

“And Paul again writes,” continued Aziel, For the in- 
visible things of Him from the creation of the world are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even His eternal Power and Godhead.’ So it seemeth to 
me,” said Aziel, “that all things visible were created by 
Christ, and through Him are manifested the invisible things 
of the Father, Elohim-God; and Christ, incarnate in the 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


211 


flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, was but the continuation of the 
Omnipotent Plan of Creation and Eedemption, and so the 
Nazarene was the incarnate Christ in flesh, the same Christ 
who was in the beginning with God, and was God; the 
manifestation of God’s power in the visible Creation, and 
the manifestation of God’s love in the Messiah.” 

^^The first commandment of our sacred law,” said 
Ananus, “forbids worship of more than the one God; does 
not the Christian doctrine uphold the worship of three 
Gods, — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?” 

“We worship but One God only,” answered Aziel; “the 
doctrine of the Trinity, as held by Christians, is but a 
triune manifestation of the One God, Elohim- Jehovah- 
Christ. To state it simply, it seemeth thus to me. Our 
Torah says: ‘In the beginning;’ now before that begin- 
ning there was without beginning the One God, — the 
Father, invisible, unmanifested; then at a set time, in 
the beginning, the Father manifested Himself visibly in 
Creation, through the Word, — Christ,. — and thus was 
revealed as God the Son; this same God the Son mani- 
fested Himself in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth. So God 
the Father, through God the Son, manifested Himself 
visibly, first by the creation, then in the flesh; now that 
He has ascended to God the Father, and is no longer 
visible in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, He reveals Him- 
self still to man as God the Holy Ghost, working by His 
Divine power invisibly in the souls of men.” 

“ The reason given for the rejection of the Nazarene by 
our people,” said Ananus, “was that the Jews expected 
their promised Messiah would found an earthly kingdom, 
and deliver them from the Koman yoke. This Nazarene 
did not deliver our people from their Koman enemies; 
then how explain the purpose of His appearing in human 
form to man, if such was not His mission?” 


212 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


seemeth thus to me,” rejoined Aziel, I ponder 
on the teachings of the Nazarene. Christ came to found 
a spiritual, not an earthly kingdom. His mission was to 
free the souls of men from all the fetters with which evil 
had bound their immortal spirits. His reign is eternal 
and His kingdom is omnipotent. As Paul says of the 
true followers of Christ: ‘Ye are Christ’s, and Christ is 
God’s.’” 

“But, my son, this Nazarene was crucified by our 
people; woe be to us! Thou canst not say Jehovah-God 
could die? If this Christ were indeed Jehovah, how dost 
thou explain the Cross?” 

“Verily, thou art right, father. Jehovah can never die, 
else would He not be God. It was not the Divine Christ, 
but the human Jesus, who was hung upon the Cross, and 
laid in the sepulchre. But death could not conquer in- 
carnate God, and the Resurrection proved the Divinity of 
Christ. Thus from eternity to eternity, Christ was, and* 
is, and will be manifested.” 

“But, my son, nearly forty years have passed since the 
crucifixion of the Hazarene, and the reign of evil in the 
world seems not diminished.” 

“ That is true, father, but I have gained great light in 
the study of the Scriptures upon that point, as interpreted 
by a diligent student of the Sacred Records, whose words 
I have copied on this tablet, from which I will read to 
thee a portion. This Christian writer explains it thus, — 

“‘ The plan of God, with reference to man, spans three 
great periods of time, beginning with man’s creation, and 
reaching into the illimitable future. Peter and Paul 
designate these periods as “Three worlds.” These three 
great epochs represent three distinct manifestations of 
Divine Providence. The first, from creation to the flood. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


213 


was under the ministration of angels, and is called by 
Peter, ‘‘The world that wasT The second great epoch, 
from the flood to the establishment of the Kingdom of 
God, is under the limited control of Satan, called by the 
Kazarene “The prince of this world,’’ and is therefore 
called by Paul, “ This present evil world T The third is 
to be a “world without end,” under Divine administration, 
the Kingdom of God, and is called by Paul, “ The world to 
come, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” ’ ” 

“Does that writer say aught of the next age?” asked 
Berachiah. 

“ I have these lines on my tablet, ” responded Aziel, — 

“‘At Jesus’ death a new age began, — the Gospel age^ 
or Christian dispensation, wherein should be heralded good 
tidings of justification, not to the Jew only, but to all 
nations; for Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted 
death for every man. With this age, the “present evil 
world ” will end. In the end of this age, and dawn of its 
successor, Satan is to be bound and his power overthrown, 
preparatory to the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom, 
and the beginning of “The World to Come, wherein 
dwelleth righteousness.” ’ ” 

“Does that writer explain how the Jews were so blinded 
as to fail to recognize their Messiah, if so be the Nazarene 
were Christ in truth?” asked Ananus. 

“I will read again from his words copied on my tablets,” 
replied Aziel : “ ‘ While under the discipline of evil, and 
unable to understand its necessity, God repeatedly ex- 
pressed to mankind His purpose to restore and bless them 
through a coming deliverer. But who that deliverer 
should be, was a mystery for four thousand years, and it 
only began to be clearly revealed after the resurrection of 
Christ. 


214 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


“‘About the time when Jesus was born, all men were 
in expectation of the Messiah, the coming king of Israel, 
and, through Israel, of the world. But Israelis hope of 
the glory and honor of their coming king, inspired as it 
was by the types and prophecies of his greatness and 
power, caused them to overlook another set of types and 
prophecies, which pointed to a work of suffering and death 
as a ransom for sinners, necessary before the blessing could 
come. This was prefigured in the Passover, before they 
were delivered from Egypt, in the slaying of the animals 
at the giving of the law covenant, and in the Atonement 
sacrifices, performed year by year continually by the 
priesthood. They overlooked, too, the statements of the 
prophets, “who testified beforehand the sufferings of 
Christ, and the glory that should follow, Hence, when 
Jesus came as a sacrifice, they did not recognize him; 
they knew not the time of their visitation. Even His 
immediate followers were sorely perplexed when Jesus 
died; and sadly they said: “We trusted it had been He 
which should have redeemed Israel.’^ They failed to see 
that the death of their leader was in partial fulfilment of 
the covenant of promise, the ratification of the New Cove- 
nant under which the blessings were to come. However, 
when they found that He had risen from the tomb, their 
withered hopes began to revive, and when He was about 
to leave them, they asked concerning their long-cherished 
and oft-deferred hope, saying, “Lord, wilt Thou at this 
time restore again the kingdom to Israel?’^ He said to 
them, “It is not for you to know the times and seasons 
which the Father hath put in His own power.” They 
could not understand before the Pentecostal blessing came, 
for Christ had declared, “ When the Spirit of Truth is 
come, he will guide you into all truth.” ^ Not until the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


215 


times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled, will the words of 
our prophets come to pass, ^ I will return, and will build 
again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and 
I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set 
it up/” 

Surely our nation knew not what they did when they 
rejected Jesus of Kazareth! ” sighed Berachiah. 

“ Perad venture, when the end of this present evil age 
you speak of shall draw near,” said Ananus, “then will 
be fulfilled the words of Isaiah the prophet. I have 
deeply pondered upon his strange vision, concerning which 
he says , — 

“ ‘ And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering 
unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in 
chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift 
beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord.^ 
Perchance,” he continued, “if, as you say, Jerusalem 
shall now be laid low for the rejection of the Nazarene, 
this strange vision may refer to a future rebuilding of the 
Holy City. The swift beasts, called by the prophet, 
^ kirkaroth,^ have always been a mystery to me; for the 
word doubtless comes from our Hebrew words ‘ kar ^ and 
^karkavy meaning a furnace, and to sway, and that must 
surely denote some strange, swift, moving thing, unknown 
to us.” 

“ It is also prophesied in our book of Daniel, regarding 
those latter days,” rejoined Aziel, “where the angel said 
to him : ‘ But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal 
the book, even to the time of the end ; many shall run to 
and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ We know not 
what shall befall our people during this age, but when 
these prophecies are fulfilled, future generations will see 
the return of our scattered people here in Jerusalem, even 


216 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


though the Eomans shall have destroyed our city and our 
Temple. For the word of our God is unchangeable, and 
the Christ, who declared to His disciples the destruction 
of this Temple, which we now behold desecrated and 
desolate, — for He said, ‘ Seest thou these great buildings? 
there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall 
not be thrown down,’ — said also, ‘ Heaven and earth shall 
pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Verily, I 
say unto you, that this generation shall not pass till all 
these things be done. ’ Therefore I feel that the Doom of 
the Holy City is already being fulfilled.” 

Again silence brooded over that little group, while the 
mystery of the spiritual birth was being wrought in the 
seeking souls of the aged Berachiah and Ananus. ‘‘The 
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound 
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither 
it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” 

At last the low, reverent voice of the High Priest broke 
the solemn stillness, as, with eyes still turned towards the 
Temple, he said: “ Perad venture, Aziel, thy younger mind 
has caught the prophetic glory of a marvellous vision of 
the future, when this same Hazarene, whom I now will- 
ingly acknowledge to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son 
of God, shall have conquered the world as His spiritual 
Kingdom, and men shall no longer repair to this Temple 
in Jerusalem to worship Jehovah, for every heart shall be 
a temple, and the light of the Shechinah shall illumine 
with effulgent radiance the Holy of Holies in every man’s 
soul.” 

Just then a nightingale lifted its voice in the oleander 
grove, singing its hymn of praise to God, its Creator, in 
the midst of the carnage and bloodshed of the tumultuous 
city, where the evil spirits of men’s lawless passions 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


217 


worked death and destruction. The plaintive notes of 
the trusting songster fell upon tlie ear of Aziel with a 
tranquillizing influence, and the faith in his soul rose 
triumphant above his gloomy fears. He felt assured that 
whatsoe’er should betide those who appropriated by faith 
the perfect redemption through Christ, should find help in 
every time of trouble, and through Him everlasting life. 

And wherefore should the Temple be cast down, so that 
one stone should not remain upon another? Not that 
heathen gods were triumphant! Not that Great Jehovah’s 
arm was shortened! Not that the invincible power of the 
Almighty and Infinite Elohim, the Everlasting I AM, was 
loosening its irresistible grasp upon the helm of the uni- 
verse! Not because false creeds and doctrines had pre- 
vailed! Not because the swing of the earth’s orbit was 
placed in the merciless hands of a blind chance! Not 
because mankind were perforce working out one of the 
little cycles appointed to different ages, in evolving the 
destinies of the human race, foreordained by grim gods of 
matter to end only at last in hopeless annihilation! Not 
because hope and faith were dead things of a past credu- 
lity! Not because belief in an Omnipresent, Omniscient, 
and Omnipotent Deity had been found by experience to 
be a myth! Not because a hope in a spiritual life beyond 
this earthly existence had been proven to be only the 
ideal fancy of imaginative minds! Wherefore, then, 
should the Temple be cast down? How answer the seem- 
ingly difficult question, why Jehovah would allow the 
shrine dedicated to Himself to be ruthlessly destroyed by 
heathen hands? What are some of the answers which 
come winging their shining way to our minds, down 
through the centuries, borne on the gleaming rays stream- 
ing forth from the Golden Gospel of the God-Man? 


218 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


By the coining of the Lamb of God, who taketh away 
the sins of the world, had the old Temple ritual been 
superseded by the Gospel dispensation of salvation offered 
to all races of the world. And the rent veil hanging 
before the hitherto invisible Holy of Holies, witnessed 
the consummation of the Atonement accomplished through 
the Perfect Life, and Sacrificial Death, and Divine Eesur- 
rection of the God-Man. 

“And behold the veil of the Temple was rent in twain 
from the top to the bottom;’’ signifying, peradventure, 
that the power to rend that Holy Veil could only come 
from Heaven above, and was not the work of earthly 
hands, as it is said it was rent from the top to the bottom , 
not from the bottom to the top. And the power to destroy 
that Temple itself came also from above; for had not 
Jehovah willed that the old dispensation of the Temple 
ritual should be done away by the coming of the new dis- 
pensation of the Gospel of the Messiah, His Divine Son; 
then, though Eome’s eagles, Egypt’s armies, Grecian 
warriors, Arab archers, Thracian lance-throwers, Gaban 
horsemen, Illyrian spearmen, Tyrian daggers, Damascus 
blades, Italian legions, Alexandrian auxiliaries, Syrian 
slingers, Spanish javelins, Galatian foot-soldiers, Lybian 
slaves, with all the machinery of war and weapons of the 
known world, had come against those sacred walls, yet 
had they stood firm, unless Jehovah Himself had, in His 
wise providence, allowed their downfall. 

As before, in the history of the Jews, Elohim had 
allowed the hitherto sacred Ark of the Covenant, with 
golden Mercy-Seat, and shining wings of Cherubim, conse- 
crated by the presence of the Almighty power of Jehovah 
in the effulgent light of the Shechinah, to be plundered 
and destroyed by heathen hands, as its mission was accom- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 219 

plished, and God would not that His chosen people should 
be led to worship any object formed by the hand of man, 
even though it had been the Holy Mercy-Seat, where His 
presence had been visible; so now, when the peculiar office 
of the Temple was superseded by the Higher Office of the 
Messiah, then was the Temple also permitted to be de- 
stroyed, lest peradventure it might have been regarded as 
an object in itself worthy of worship, whereas naught 
but God Himself, who is a spirit, and His Divine Son, 
Jesus Christ, must henceforth receive the worship of the 
world. 

Peradventure, had the Jews not rejected the Son of the 
Great Jehovah, Jerusalem and the Temple might have 
been permitted to remain consecrated to the service of the 
Christ. We cannot say, but this we have good reasons for 
surmising, that the wicked rejection of the Messiah of the 
world by the Jews, and their awful curse pronounced 
by themselves upon their own heads, “His blood be upon 
us and upon our children ! ” was sufficient cause for the 
destruction of their glorious city, and their famous but 
desecrated Temple. 

The Christ is the Messiah not only for Jews, but for 
Gentiles, for Greeks, Eomans, barbarians, bond and free. 
No one nation of the world was to have exclusive right to 
His proffered salvation; no one city of the world was to 
set bounds to the spread of his Gospel of Love. The 
Temple, symbol of God’s peculiar favor to the Jews, was 
to be cast down, and the Cross uplifted, — symbol of 
Christ’s atonement offered to all races. The walls of 
Jerusalem were to be laid low, and the Gospel carried 
into all lands. 

Henceforth, no temple of earth might rear its proud 
head, saying: I alone am the Church of God! Hence- 


220 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


forth, no walled city might shut in its pharisaical inhabi- 
tants boastingly, crying: We alone are the chosen people of 
God. Henceforth salvation would be offered to all 5 hence- 
forth the Bread of Life would be common to all. 

Eor three days Cestius remained in his camp at Scopus, 
but on the fourth he set his army in marching array ; and 
such was the martial bearing of the Komans, that the 
Zealots fled from the outposts of the city, and took refuge 
behind the walls of the Temple. Cestius, having burned 
certain parts of the suburbs, encamped in the Upper City, 
near Herod’s palace. 

Doubtless, if he had so willed, he could now easily have 
conquered the rebels; but, with strange apathy, he was 
persuaded by Priscus, and other of his captains, who had 
been bribed by Plorus, who desired nothing so much as that 
Koine and Jerusalem should come to open warfare, that he 
should not attack the Zealots. It would seem as though 
the Jews, in their blind error, doomed the city to destruc- 
tion, and thus was Cestius allowed to be so easily hindered. 
God wills only good to His children, but mortals, blinded 
by evil, rush madly on to their own direful doom. 

Cestius now gave command to his army that they should 
assail the Temple, and Herod’s palace. This they did for 
five days, without gaining advantage. Whereupon, on the 
sixth day, Cestius attacked the Temple on the north side, 
having with him picked men of the legion, and skilful 
archers. 

So furious were the Zealots in defence, that at first the 
Komans were driven back from the walls; but at length 
Cestius ordered his legions to form a tortoise with their 
shields, which manoeuvre gained for him the victory. And 
this mode of warfare was as follows: A tortoise was 
made by the first rank of Koman soldiers resting their 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


221 


shields against the wall, and to these others, coming close, 
joined their shields, and this was done by still other ranks, 
and the shields, fitting tightly together like the tiers on 
the shell of a tortoise, formed a guard called the testudo ; 
and under cover of this protection the Eomans were enabled 
to come near to the walls, for neither arrow nor dart could 
pierce these linked shields ; and such a manner of defence 
so alarmed the Zealots, that they wavered in their courage, 
and, learning that the soldiers had so undermined the 
walls as to be ready to set fire to the gate of the Temple, 
the Zealots fled with haste, and the people would speedily 
have opened the gates to Cestius and his legion, but, with 
strange timidity, Cestius called back his troops from 
attacking the city, and with no apparent reason retired 
once again to his camp on Scopus. 

Thereupon the rebels took heart and pursued Cestius, 
and as the Eomans continued their flight, the Jews way- 
laid them in a narrow defile, where the horsemen were at 
great disadvantage, the foot-soldiers, also, being heavily 
armed, whereas the Jews were lightly equipped, and 
therefore prepared for this kind of warfare; this being so, 
the Eomans suffered great loss, and retreated with haste 
to their former camp at Gabao. 

In this conflict, Priscus, who commanded the sixth 
legion of the Eomans, and Longinus, the Tribune, and 
^milius Jucundus, captain of a troop of horse, with many 
others of less renown among the Eomans, perished. 

The Jews, being now strong of heart, on account of their 
success, collected in large numbers, and boldly attacked 
Cestius at Gabao, and with such frenzy, that the Eomans 
fled in haste, leaving behind them all such baggage as 
might hinder their swift flight, and killing all beasts 
of burden except those which bore the arrows of the 
artillery. 


222 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


So Oestius came to Bethhoron. While the Romans kept 
in the open country, the Jews forbore to attack them; but 
as they were close upon Bethhoron, having to go through 
a narrow pass, the Zealots fell upon them, showering darts 
from the rocks above, and attacking them both in front 
and in the rear. 

Neither could the horsemen defend themselves from the 
sharp javelins which filled the air, and the foot soldiers 
were helpless to preserve their ranks, and the steep rocks 
prevented the horsemen from coming to their aid. 

Indeed, so great was the fury of the Jews, and so sore 
were the straits of the Romans, that they lifted up their 
cries in lamentations, nor tried to defend themselves, 
being overwhelmed with despair; while the triumphant 
Zealots shouted aloud for joy. 

Peradventure, this would have put an end to the entire 
army of Oestius, but that night falling upon the con- 
testants, the Romans made their way to Bethhoron, and 
the Jews, surrounding them on all sides, determined to 
wait until the morning. 

Meanwhile Oestius, to save his army, resorted to a 
stratagem, though it was a severe ordeal for the few brave 
soldiers upon whom his choice fell. Selecting four hun- 
dred of his bravest troops, he set them on the rampart of 
the camp, bidding them display the Roman standards , as 
though the whole army were still entrenched there. Then, 
during the hours of friendly darkness, Oestius and the 
remnant of his army stole quietly away, and thus gained 
time in their flight. In the morning, the Jews attacked 
the camp, slew all of the brave four hundred, and pursued 
after Oestius. But this device had given him so many 
hours’ march, that the Jews at length relinquished the 
pursuit, and returning, they gathered up the spoils of war. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


223 


robbing the dead, and collecting great stores of plunder, 
and many implements of war, of which they afterwards 
made great use. Of the Eomans, five thousand three 
hundred of the foot soldiers were slain, and three hundred 
and eighty horsemen fell in the conflict. The victorious 
Zealots then returned to Jerusalem, and open war was 
declared between the Eomans and the Jews. 

News of this great calamity to the Eomans having 
reached Nero in Greece, he thereupon appointed Vespasian 
as commander of the Eoman^ forces, to quell this uprising 
in Judea. Vespasian therefore mustered his allies and 
forces at Ptolemais, while Titus, his son, took a ship for 
Alexandria, and summoned from thence the Fifth and 
Tenth Legions, to serve in the impending campaign. 

The Sanhedrin became a council of war, and divided 
Palestine into seven military districts. Of these the most 
important was Galilee, which was defended by a strong 
line of posts from the sea to the Lake of Tiberias. It was 
Vespasian’s plan to complete the reduction of Galilee 
before turning his arms against Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin 
had appointed certain men to be leaders, both in the cities 
and the provinces, and they had chosen Josephus to take 
command of the Jewish forces in Galilee. This Josephus, 
the son of Matthias, became afterwards the illustrious 
historian of the Jewish war. 

Josephus belonged to an ancient and noble Jewish 
family, and was withal noted for rare learning and 
scholarly abilities, and had heretofore been sent to Eome 
in behalf of certain persons accused by Felix, who were 
ordered to answer for their deeds to Nero. Josephus 
gained the favor of Poppaea, Nero’s wife, who gave him 
many gifts, and honored him with royal consideration. 
Therefore Josephus was most averse to war with Eome, 


224 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


and counselled his country against such futile project, but 
was overborne in advice by the hot-headed Zealots, who 
thirsted for naught so much as for an opportunity to cross 
swords with Caesar’s legions. 

Finding he could not prevail in his efforts to prevent the 
Jews from rebelling against Home, Josephus determined 
to serve them as best he could, and accepted the govern- 
ment of Galilee, behaving himself with great wisdom and 
courage. 

FTow, for a time, we must turn our gaze from Jerusalem, 
torn with internal riots, which Ananus endeavors to quiet 
by wise counsel and mild forbearance, while we follow 
Vespasian in his preparations for the subjugation of Pales- 
tine; for in this manner we may, peradventure, gain a 
clearer understanding of that famous war against the Holy 
City. 

As we have said, Placidus had been summoned from 
Eome to attend Vespasian as his tribune; and he did com- 
port himself with so much valor, that he was appointed 
to important posts in the campaign. The tactics of 
Vespasian were slow and cautious, taking warning by the 
example of Cestius, who had rushed with headlong speed 
against the impregnable Jerusalem, and had found to his 
terrible cost that the Holy City was not to be thus easily 
subdued. 

When Flavius Vespasian, a. n. 67, came down into the 
province of Judea by the command of Nero, and had 
gathered a great army at Antioch, even sixty thousand 
men, Josephus straightway warned all the people of 
Galilee to fly within the entrenched cities, he himself, 
with the bravest of his soldiers, betaking themselves to 
Jotapata, the strongest of the cities of Galilee. He sent 
also letters to the Sanhedrin, at Jerusalem, setting forth 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


225 


the state of affairs, and recommending them to make peace 
with Koine, bat adding that if war was their decision, 
they should forthwith supply him with soldiers, that he 
might be able to join battle with the enemy. 

Vespasian, meanwhile, conferred with King Agrippa at 
Caesarea Philippi, and the tetrarch, in such case, thinking 
it more prudent to show himself an ally of Koine rather 
than of Jerusalem, entertained the Koman general with 
sumptuous feasts. 


226 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

PLACES MADE SACRED BY THE HOLY FOOTSTEPS OF THE 
CHRIST DESECRATED BY THE TRAMP OF PAGAN ARMIES. 
THE BANQUET IN KING AGRIPPA’s PALACE. A DE- 
SCRIPTION OF THE ROMAN ARMY. JOSEPHUS AND THE 

SIEGE OF JOTAPATA. 

On the distant waters of the Mediterranean, Roman war 
galleys gathering, tossed pearl-white foam upon the 
sapphire sea. The fragrant meadows, ‘‘lily -lit,” skirting 
the lake of Gennesaret, were ruthlessly trampled by the 
feet of Rome’s auxiliaries; and through the streets of 
Nazareth, made holy by the footsteps of the Christ, reeled 
drunken myrmidons of Caesar, who defiled the air, still 
echoing with the holy words of love, by their coarse jests 
and brutal oaths. 

The doves nestling in the cedars flew away, affrighted 
by these strange sounds of war, and the Jordan drew back 
its waves reluctant from the polluting touch of Roman 
bathers, remembering that its waters had been made holy 
by contact with the sacred person of the baptized Jesus. 

In Capernaum, where the fevered sick had felt the 
healing touch of that miraculous power which clothed the 
God-Man, with an effulgence visible only to angels, and 
in Gadara, where the souls of tormented demoniacs were 
set at liberty from legions of devils, at the commanding 
word of Him who rules all powers of darkness, and to 
whom even the demons are subject, — in those places for- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


227 


ever consecrated by such manifestations of the Divine 
nature of the Son of Mary, now gather hordes of pagan 
soldiers, praying to the myth of Jupiter, or, worse still, 
sacrificing in honor of the Great Beast from the Abyss, 
now seated on the throne of Koine. 

The olive-trees of Chorazin, and the palm groves of 
Bethsaida, which had bent a listening ear to the life- 
giving words of their Divine Creator, when the heedless 
inhabitants had regarded not the mighty works of Him 
who came to save a perishing world, and who therefore 
uttered those denunciatory sentences against these cities, 
which, in their indifferent unbelief, were more guilty than 
Tyre and Sidon, — these same palms and olives now shud- 
dered in the night winds, bemoaning the desecration of 
the soil of Galilee, once pressed by the sinless feet of its 
rejected Lord. 

In Caesarea Philippi, where that momentous warning had 
been spoken to that little band of reverent disciples, — 
“ What shall it profit a man , if he shall gain the whole 
world, and lose his own soul?” — there are now held high 
revels in the palace of Agrippa, in honor of Vespasian. 
‘‘What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole 
world, and lose his own soul?” still rings through the 
echoing ether, yet vibrating with the melodious tones of 
that matchless voice; but the wild revellers hear not the 
heavenly echo. But nature yet thrills with the remem- 
brance; and the constant lilies of the field still tremble 
from His tender touch; and the grass blades quiver from 
the soft treading of His feet; and the sparrows snuggle 
trustfully in their nests, mindful of the Father’s noting 
of their fall ; and the vines hang heavy with their luscious 
clusters , whose purple is flushed with blood-red tints , since 
the Master honored their life sap by symbolizing it to His 
Own most precious blood. 


I 


228 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


In Magdala, where rang out those warning words, in 
answer to the tempting Pharisees and Sadducees, ^^0 ye 
hypocrites ! ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye 
not discern the sign of the times?” still abide blinded 
Jews, now entrenching themselves in the tower overlook- 
ing the Lake of Tiberias, unconscious that the hour of 
their destruction, foretold by that Divine Voice, has 
come. 

On the opposite bank of the lake, where the four thour 
sand hungry men, women, and children had been fed by 
the loving Master, His only store being seven small loaves 
and a few fishes, still wave the pine-trees, which had 
shaded the multitudes on whom He had compassion; and 
the night winds moan amidst their branches with plaintive 
lament, that they should no more bend in reverent adora- 
tion over that Sacred Head. 

In the village of Nain, spreading up the slope of the 
hill from the plain of Esdrselon, where the commanding 
voice of the God-Man broke in upon the dull ears of the 
dead son of a widow, and, responsive to those irresistible 
tones, the soul, already winging its way to the beyond, 
obeyed the summons, and the dead was restored alive to 
his mother’s arms, — on this momentous spot are now 
pitched the tents of the pagan army, and the standard of 
Caesar is uplifted, regardless that the surrounding hills 
witnessed the presence of One so mighty that the gates 
of death could not prevail against Him. 

By the well of Sychar, in Samaria, lying in the sheltered 
valley between Mount Gerizim on the south, and Mount 
Ebal on the north, where the summer makes this the 
paradise of the Holy Land, filled with gardens, cooled by 
glittering fountains, and where orchards of figs, pome- 
granates, olives, citrons, apples, and almonds flourish; 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


229 


lovely Sychar, the ancient Shechem of Palestine, renamed 
by Vespasian Neapolis, near which lies the tomb of 
Joseph, at the foot of the sacred mount of Gerizimj here 
where Abraham pitched his tent, and built an altar to 
Jehovah, under the oak of Moreh; Sychar, made more 
sacred still by the presence of the Divine Son of God, 
who condescended there to preach to the solitary and 
sinful woman that wondrous sermon from the text, — 
^‘God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must 
worship Him in spirit and in truth; and, moreover, to 
this same humble listener, the Great Messiah did announce 
Himself, — 

I that speak unto thee am He ! ” 

And now in this same Sychar, where the myrtles cluster, 
swinging their white censers, purple-rimmed, wafting their 
fragrant incense upon the sun-lit air; and the almonds 
scatter their pink showers upon the grass; and the rosy 
blossoms of the oleanders mingle with the white flowers of 
the orange-trees; and the crimson pomegranate-bells ring 
out the new song of the Gospel, ‘instead of chiming, as 
heretofore, with the golden bells bordering the sacred robe 
of the High Priest, when he sacrificed in the Holy Place 
in the Temple, now no longer necessary, because the spot- 
less Lamb of God has been once for all laid upon the Altar 
of Burnt Offering, as an atonement for the sins of the 
world, — in this same Sychar, by that sacred well, now 
stand caravans of camels, laden with implements of war, 
while Eoman pagans and Egyptian idolaters slake their 
thirst from its refreshing waters, forever blessed by the 
reflection of that Divine Face which bent over them, when, 
weary by His ceaseless ministrations of love, the Son of 
God sat there to rest beside Samaria’s fountain. 

And other places still, made holy by the footsteps of the 


230 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Christ, now resound with desecrating sounds of war, — 
that holy place in Bethlehem, that rock-hewn stable, that 
manger, cut from the stone wall, which received the 
Divine Babe when no place was found for Him, the Holy 
One from Heaven, in village khan, nor any villager to 
offer shelter to the Virgin Mary in her hour of need; in 
that same sacred stable, made more resplendent by the 
effulgent light beaming from the holy brow of the Divine 
Child than Nero’s boasted Golden House, glowing in 
gorgeous pomp on Dome’s high Palatine, — within those 
walls still echoing the sweet murmurs of that Holy Babe’s 
voice, now sit fierce Sicarii, throwing the gambling dice, 
and befouling that consecrated air with horrid jests and 
coarse profanity. 

Without that sacred Grotto, the birthplace of Mary’s 
Son, the lilies bow their lovely heads in silent grief at 
such harrowing desecration, and their dew-filled eyes shed 
tears of sorrow upon the white faces of the stars of Beth- 
lehem growing at their feet; while the ring-necked doves 
coo sadly in the branches of the weeping willows, and 
the palm-trees droop their emerald-green plumes, which 
whisper musically in the breeze. The rock-rose, cistus, 
clambering over the walls of the holy cave, blushes pink 
with indignation at such forgetfulness of Him, the lovely 
Dose of Sharon, once shining in His perfect beauty there 
in the sight of men and nature. The myrrh, • planted in 
neighboring gardens, to be used in the oil of holy oint- 
ment, drops golden tears of fragrant gum, in memory of 
the perfumed spices wrapped with the linen around that 
sacred body laid in the tomb of Joseph. 

In Bethany, on the slope of the memorable Mount of 
Olives, in that house where Jesus talked with Mary, and 
Lazarus, raised by His miraculous power from the jaws 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


231 


of death, even on the cushioned divan, which, perchance, 
the Christ had honored by the pressure of His matchless 
form, now sat a Koman soldier, and, with his companions, 
feasted in drunken revel. And in the Garden of Geth- 
semane, ruthless pagan hands cut down those holy trees, 
whose boughs had sheltered that Lone Sufferer, when all 
men, and even God Himself, seemed, for a time, to forsake 
that anguished heart, dropping great tears of blood, that 
sinful men might be forgiven. 

It was night under a Galilaean sky. The moonbeams, 
which had kissed with reverent caress the brow of 
Nazareth’s Carpenter, and thereby gained a heavenly 
radiance by such a contact as should impart to those 
silvery rays a greater glory than reflection of the noon- 
day’s splendor, these moonbeams now paled in witness of 
Galilee’s departing beauty, and hid themselves, sorrow- 
ing, behind gray cloud-curtains, drawn across the eastern 
sky. 

In Agrippa’s palace in Caesarea Philippi, lights flashed, 
and revellers feasted, and the wine-cup was lifted to the 
lips of smiling women and martial men. Here libations 
were poured forth in sacrifice to pagan gods, and heathen 
rites were celebrated, that the coming conflict between 
Eome and Jerusalem might be decided by destiny in favor 
of the Koman eagles. And wherefore would Rome be 
victorious? Not by the strength of Koman legions! Not 
by the power of heathen gods! Not by the force of 
implements of war, nor skill in Koman warfare! Not for 
the aid of Egypt nor Arabia! Not by the Thracian’s 
brawny arms, nor by the prowess of Illyrian bands ! Not 
through the sure aiming of swift archers! Not through 
the help of allied ranks of Gauls! Not through the wis- 
dom of Vespasian, nor daring of brave Titus! Not by 


232 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


all of these combined, was Jerusalem laid low! For in 
spite of all, the Holy City had yet remained impregnable 
to heathen attack; but for the mighty reason that Jehovah 
Himself ordained that power should be taken from that 
nation which had rejected His Well-Beloved and Divine 
Son! 

In the triclinium of Agrippa’s palace sat Vespasian, the 
guest of honor, and by his side, fair Berenice, sister of the 
king, — though Jewess, and petitioner at Jerusalem in 
behalf of her countrymen, when Florus brutally shed their 
blood, now plotting with Agrippa in favor of the Eoman 
lords, in whose eyes she would fain appear attractive. 
Her costume was of queenly magnificence. Her cymar 
was cloth of gold and her robe of Tyrian purple, while 
her black hair was coifed in Koman fashion, covered with 
a caul of pearls, studded with emeralds. Jewels blazed 
on her arms, caressed her pink shell ears, glittered, with 
dazzling lustre on her white breast, where glowed a ruby, 
worth a king’s ransom; there it lay like a great drop of 
heart’s blood on the ivory whiteness of her skin. Her 
slender fingers were weighted with costly rings, while her 
girdle of linked gold was set with stars of gems ; and the 
handle of the radiant fan, made from the plumage of the 
beautiful birds of Paradise, which hung from her girdle by 
strings of pearls, was encrusted with sparkling diamonds, 
set in the form of sprays of lilies. Upon each silver 
sandal lay an almond blossom, embroidered in pale pink 
beads of coral; and the sumptuous couch, on which she 
languidly reclined, was of ivory, set with plates of gold, 
and covered with soft cushions of eider down, encased in 
silken covers of white silk, arabesqued in golden threads. 

Not alone is she pleasing to Vespasian, for the hand- 
some Titus, a dozen years her junior, who, returned from 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


233 


Alexandria with legions summoned thither^ now with his 
father, is being royally entertained by King Agrippa; and 
Titus fails not to note the loveliness of Berenice, and will 
still more admire her, as we shall see. For at this time 
thirty and nine summers had passed over the head of 
Berenice, but touching her so lightly, that she still 
bloomed in all the gorgeous beauty of womanhood, more 
dangerous oft to the heart of man than a maiden’s blush; 
for eye, and hand, and voice had been well skilled in all 
the tricks of coquetry, and the art of fascination was so 
consummate that it seemed but the artlessness of a lovely 
nature. 

Placidus, as tribune of Vespasian, attends the general, 
and sees also this beautiful Berenice; but remembering 
his stately mother, Virgilia, and his sister, Myrtilla, whose 
pure beauty is to this voluptuous display as the white lily 
to the gaudy coloring of a painted Magdalene, his pulse 
quickens not even at the touch of those soft hands, when, 
lifting a rose fallen from her fragrant dress, he hands it to 
her, and as their fingers meet over the glowing flower, she 
smiles into his eyes, with all a woman’s wiles of fascina- 
tion; but Placidus bows only in courtly deference, and 
glances with cold eyes upon those alluring charms , which 
piques her vanity to a greater show of kindness, until his 
studied coldness touches her wounded pride. 

“I hear that Kero has arrived in Eome, after spending 
a year in Greece,” remarked King Agrippa to his guest, 
Vespasian. 

“He was loath to return,” responded Vespasian, ^^for 
Grecian laurels pleased him more than imperial cares.” 

‘‘I wot he knoweth little of Kome’s policies, and careth 
less ! ” interjected Titus ; and turning to Placidus, he 
continued : “ Hast thou learned of the manner of great 


234 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Caesar’s triumphal return from Greece? He has instituted 
his Neronian games after the style of the Olympian, and 
must needs return to Eome like a triumphal general, in 
purple tunic, riding in the chariot in which Augustus had 
triumphed, and wearing a gorgeous cloak embroidered 
with golden stars. On his head he wore the crown won 
at Olympia, and in his right hand that which had been 
given to him at the Parthian games, while the rest of his 
numerous prizes and coronals, which had been perforce 
adjudged to him, were carried in a procession before him, 
with badges attached, stating the places where they had 
been so valiantly won. He was followed by his five thou- 
sand Augustmiiy who vociferously made loud acclamations, 
crying out, ‘ that they were the Emperor’s attendants, and 
the soldiers of his triumph.’ ” 

^^It must indeed have been a goodly sight for Eoman 
soldiers!” quoth Placidus, with scornful looks, having 
listened with indignation to such a recital of great Caesar’s 
warlike prowess. 

^^And more,” resumed Titus; ^^as it was a custom that 
the victor in the Grecian games should be drawn in a 
chariot harnessed to white horses, through a breach in the 
city wall, as a mark of honor, great Caesar must needs 
cause an arch of the Circus Maximus to be taken down, 
that he might thus also pass through a breach ; and so on 
he passed through the Velabrum and Forum to the Palatine 
Hill; and to the Temple of Apollo was our noble Caesar 
borne; and everywhere, as he marched, victims were 
slain, while the streets were perfumed with saffron; and 
sweetmeats, birds, and chaplets were scattered by fair 
Eoman ladies, in honor of their heroic emperor, who had 
won such famous laurels! These sacred crowns are now 
suspended in his bed-chamber, and statues of brave Nero, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


235 


attired as a harper, are now erected in many places, and 
his chief concern is to spare his melodious voice from too 
great strain, lest his warblings in the theatre might be 
less impressive.” 

Methinks that Caesar will have somewhat more weighty 
matters than womanlike warblings to attend to, ere long,” 
said Vespasian. hear there are commotions in Gaul, 
and that Vindex, with other men of power, have revolted. 
This report makes me anxious to proceed briskly with this 
Jewish war, that I may be prepared for coming events, 
which forebode not well for Nero. And forthwith,” he 
continued, turning to the tribune Placidus, do now 
commission thee, that thou shouldst proceed to-morrow, 
with a thousand horsemen, and six thousand footmen, 
to assist the people of Sepphoris, who are disposed to 
make peace with the Komans ; for Sepphoris is the largest 
city of Galilee, and is, withal, a place well favored by 
situation, and encompassed with so strong a wall that its 
alliance may prove of much avail in the present conflict. 
Moreover, I am informed that Josephus is preparing an 
attack upon Sepphoris, if, peradventure , he may effect its 
conquest before the city is rendered impregnable by 
Roman aid.” 

Thereupon, Placidus at once retired from the banqueting- 
hall of Agrippa’s palace, to make ready for his speedy 
departure, noting not the farewell glance of Berenice’s 
sorrowful eyes, who would fain have detained so hand- 
some a Roman soldier by her side, but who was compelled 
to content her vanity by renewed wiles to fascinate the 
more vulnerable Vespasian, and the more susceptible and 
youthful Titus. Womanlike, the prey within her power 
lost momentarily a shade of desirability, even though her 
ambition realized the greater policy of pleasing a Roman 


236 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


general and his favored son rather than a subordinate 
tribune. 

Having aided the inhabitants of Sepphoris to withstand 
the attack of Josephus, who thereupon retired, vanquished, 
to Garis, a city not far from Sepphoris, Placidus overran 
some parts of Galilee, and at length attacked Josephus, 
who had retreated to the walled city of Jotapata, the 
strongest of all the cities of Galilee. 

But this undertaking of Placidus met with ill fortune, 
for the Jews, came boldly out of Jotapata ere the Eomans 
were aware, and so briskly fought in defence of their 
homes and families that even the skilled training of 
the Eomans was set at naught, these being encumbered 
with heavy armor, while the lightly-armed Jews retreated 
with swiftness, after making a vigorous onslaught. Placi- 
dus, finding himself unable to assault the city, returned 
to the Eoman army, then encampd at Ptolemais, under 
Vespasian. 

Vespasian and his son, Titus, having departed from the 
palace of Agrippa, in Caesarea Philippi, had been some 
time in Ptolemais, gathering together an imposing army; 
and being joined by Placidus and the cohorts under his 
command, they prepared to subdue Galilee. 

It was early n\orning in the Eoman camp. A valiant 
sight was that Eoman army, well exercised in warlike 
skill; for as one writes: — 

“ They do not begin to use their weapons first in time of 
war, nor do they then put their hands first into motion, 
while they avoided so to do in times of peace ; but as if 
their weapons did always cling to them, they have never 
any truce from warlike exercises; nor would he be mis- 
taken that should call those their exercises unbloody 
battles, and their battles bloody exercises. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY, 


237 


When the trumpet sounded on that bright morning, and 
the newly awakened dawn lifted the pink cloud-curtains 
shrouding the glowing east, where, according to the 
thoughts of Alexandrian auxiliaries, Isis dreamed in 
distant Egyptian skies ; and, according to the Eoman 
warrior’s imagination, Aurora, with rosy fingers, scattered 
dew-flowers ; both Eoman and Egyptian soldiers , under that 
Galilsean sky, bowed in reverence to their several deities, 
ignorant of the glorious arising of the Heavenly Day-Star, 
which, nearly seventy years before, had flashed its radiant 
rays through the midnight darkness which enveloped the 
world. 

Then, having finished their morning sacrifices to their 
respective gods, the Eoman soldiers and their auxiliaries 
made ready for the coming conflict. And thus was the 
method of Vespasian’s army, as described by an ancient 
writer : — 

Those auxiliaries which were lightly armed, and the 
archers, were ordered to march first, that they might pre- 
vent any sudden surprises from the enemy, and might 
search out the woods that looked suspicious , and were capa- 
ble of ambuscades. Next to these followed that part of the 
Eomans who were completely armed, both footmen and 
horsemen. Next to these followed ten out of every hun- 
dred, carrying along with them their arms, and what was 
necessary to measure out a camp withal; and after them 
such as were to make the road even and straight, and if it 
were anywhere rough and hard to be passed over, to plane 
it, and to cut down the woods that hindered their march, 
that the army might not be in distress, nor tired with their 
march. Behind these he set such carriages of the army 
as belonged both to himself and to the other commanders, 
with a considerable number of their horsemen, for their 


238 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


security. After these he marched himself, having with 
him a select body of footmen and horsemen and pikemen. 

‘‘After these came the peculiar cavalry of his own 
legion, for there were a hundred and twenty horsemen 
that peculiarly belonged to every legion., Next to these 
came the mules that carried the engines for the sieges, and 
the other warlike machines of that nature. After these 
came the commanders of the cohorts and tribunes, having 
about them soldiers chosen out of the rest. Then came 
the ensigns encompassing the eagle which is at the head 
of every Eoman legion; the king and the strongest of all 
birds, which seems to them a signal of dominion, and an 
omen that they shall conquer all against whom they 
march. These sacred ensigns were followed by the trum- 
peters. Then came the main army in their squadrons 
and battalions, with six men in depth, which were fol- 
lowed at last by a centurion, who, according to custom, 
observed the rest. As for the servants of every legion, they 
all followed the footmen, and led the baggage of the soldiers, 
which was borne by the mules and other beasts of burden. 

“But behind all the legions came the whole multitude of 
the mercenaries ; and those that brought up the rear came 
last of all for the security of the whole army, being both 
footmen, and those in their armor also, with a great 
number of horsemen. And thus did Vespasian march 
with his army.’’^ 

There were sixty centuries in a Eoman legion, each 
under the command of a centurion. The legion was under 
six tribunes, or chief captains, who commanded by turns. 
The ordinary guard consisted of four soldiers, correspond- 
ing to the watches of the night, who relieved each other 
every three hours. The captain of the guard was the 
1 Josephus. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


239 


Frcefectus Frcetorio, or commander of the Praetorian troops, 
to whose care prisoners from the provinces were assigned. 
This was the Roman guard in Rome, which, of course, 
was vastly increased in times of war. 

Having taken the city of Gadara, Vespasian encamped 
before Jotapata. 

Now Jotapata was built upon a precipice midway be- 
tween the Lake of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. To 
the southwest lay purple Carmel, standing as a wall be- 
tween the plain of Sharon on the south, and the broad 
expanse of Esdrselon upon the north. Beautiful Carmel ! 
clothed with its ^‘excellency of wood,’’ with rocky dells, 
and jungles dark with copse, — here, dense with brush- 
wood of oaks and evergreens, tenanted with wild game and 
forest birds; there, bright with wild hollyhocks, while 
fragrant jasmines clambered up the tree-trunks, and vari- 
ous flowering creepers swung in glowing garlands from 
bough to bough. There is not a flower which blooms in 
Galilee which does not grace the mountain-side of pictur- 
esque Mount Carmel, as rugged, grand, and beautiful, it 
lifts its famous head towards the bright skies of Galilee, 
pushing its bold bluff promontory almost into the blue 
waves of the Mediterranean. 

On the highest ridge of this mountain stood the Altar of 
Jehovah, which Jezebel cast down; and here afterwards 
the priests of Baal called in vain upon their gods, while 
Elijah received from the Great Jehovah, whom he wor- 
shipped, that marvellous manifestation of His Almighty 
power, in the fire descending from Heaven and consuming 
the sacrifice, and even the very stones of the altar. 

Sweeping through the valley, between Mount Carmel 
and the rocky precipice upon which Jotapata was built, 
ran the river Kishon, winding its way from the foot of 


240 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Mount Tabor to the blue reach of the Mediterranean. A 
rich landscape of olive groves, gardens, wheat-fields and 
palm-plumes, with meadows* studded with lilies and flax- 
fiowers, and gemmed with the white stars of Bethlehem, 
skirted the foot-hills, and garlanded the plains. 

But different from all this pleasing scene was the view 
of Jotapata, rock-girt on all sides, insomuch that the only 
approach to the city was from the north side, where the 
mountain sweeps down to the valley. So sheer were the 
precipices, that the head was made dizzy as the eye 
endeavored to measure the vast depths beneath the towered 
wails of this stronghold. 

‘‘This is, forsooth, a well fortified place said Ves- 
pasian to Titus, his son, as the Eoman army approached 
the northern side of the city. 

“Yea, verily,’’ replied Titus. “By the sacred name of 
Jupiter! we will, peradventure, have a tough tussle, or a 
long siege. Wist ye not, Placidus,” continued he, “how 
this Josephus gained the ear of Caesar’s wife, when he 
was last at Kome? Methinks, in his present stronghold, 
he will display much cunning, and must withal be watched 
for fear of wily stratagems.” 

“Thou speakest truly,” rejoined Placidus. “I have had 
knowledge of this Josephus, and my cohorts have already 
tasted the cold steel of J ewish weapons , and felt the prick 
of Jewish darts, before these very walls. The Jews are 
mad with fury, and are withal fighting for home and 
country, and thus are, forsooth, no mean foes for even 
Boman soldiers ; for they make up in boldness what they 
lack in martial skill.” 

“ There is the trumpet signal for a council-of-war in my 
father’s tent,” said Titus. “Come! we are summoned 
thither.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


241 


Tlie Eoman camp had been pitched on a small hill, 
seven furlongs from Jotapata, and within full view of the 
enemy. We must greatly admire the symmetry and regu- 
larity of the Eoman encampments 5 for when they have 
marched into an enemy’s country, they do not begin in 
hot haste to fight, while they are ill prepared for such an 
encounter, but they proceed forthwith to raise a wall 
around their camp, having levelled the uneven ground, 
and by measure made it four square, by skill of carpenters 
and tools, which are never wanting in a Eoman camp. 
The space within the camp is set apart for tents, but the 
circumference is a strong wall, adorned with towers, 
between which stand the engines for throwing arrows and 
darts, and slinging stones and battering-rams, with their 
iron heads ready to be taken forth and used against the 
besieged city. There are four gates in the wall, large 
enough for the entrance of laden beasts of burden, and 
wide enough for excursions of armed men and horsemen. 
There are also streets within the camp, with the tents of 
commanders in the midst 5 the most central one of all, in 
form like to a temple, is that of the commanding general. 
The Eoman camp appears like a city suddenly rising 
before the enemies’ wondering eyes, with market-place, 
and shops for trades necessary to war, and council-halls 
for officers, and martial debates. Moreover, all these are 
erected with amazing speed, owing to the multitude and 
skill of the various laborers. 

The army within the camp is divided into companies, 
each company provided with the necessary wood and 
corn and water, and they dine together. Nor is anything 
commenced nor ended without a signal trumpet. In the 
morning, at bugle call, the soldiery go every one to their 
respective centurions; these repair to their tribunes, and 


16 


242 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


these again salute the general of the entire army, and 
receive from him the watchword and orders for the day. 
So perfect are the signals of the trumpets, and so complete 
the order of command, that when there is an occasion for 
making sallies, or for breaking camp, an immense host is 
moved with seeming ease, each one in proper rank, with 
no misunderstanding regarding each one^s post and action. 
And this is the order of the arming of a Koman host. 

^‘The footmen are armed with breastplates and head- 
pieces, and have swords on each side; but the sword on 
their left side is much longer than the other, for that on 
the right side is not longer than a span. Those footmen 
also that are chosen out from the rest to be about the 
general himself, have a lance and a buckler; but the rest 
of the foot-soldiers have a spear and a long buckler, besides 
a saw and a basket, a pick-axe and an axe, a thong of 
leather and a hook, with provisions for three days, so that 
a footman hath no great need of a mule to carry his 
burdens. The horsemen have a long sword on their right 
sides, and a long pole in their hand; a shield also lies by 
them obliquely on one side of their horses, with three or 
more darts that are borne in their quiver, having broad 
points, and not smaller than spears. They have also head- 
pieces and breastplates, in like manner as have all the 
footmen. And for those that are chosen to be about the 
general, their armor no way differs from that of the horse- 
men belonging to other troops; and he always leads the 
legions forth, to whom the lot assigns that employment.’’ 

Such was the completeness of the Eoman camp now 
pitched before Jotapata. Moreover, the Eomans never 
rushed headlong to battle, for when they were to fight, 
they left nothing to be done off-hand, and thus, peradven- 
ture, to prove a grave blunder. Counsel was first taken. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


243 


then action proceeded swiftly^ but in order j for they 
esteemed rash success never to be relied upon, but only 
a freak of fortune, much less to be desired than more 
deliberate action consequent upon prudent consultation. 
Thus were they often overpowered for a time by the bold 
sallies of the hot-headed Jews, who made their successful 
sorties under the spur of some momentary enthusiasm; 
but in the long run, the wise counsels of Eoman generals 
favoring more deliberate tactics gave Eome signal advan- 
tage in the end. 

The Eoman soldiers were hardened for war by fear; for 
the laws inflicted capital punishment, not only for deser- 
tion, but for slothfulness and inactivity. And they were 
also inspired by the great rewards bestowed upon valiant 
soldiers. 

“ The readiness of obeying their commanders is so great 
that it is very ornamental in peace ; but when they come 
to a battle, the whole army is but one body, so well coupled 
together are their ranks, so sudden are their turnings 
about, so sharp their hearing as to what orders are given 
them, so quick their sight of the ensigns, and so nimble 
are their hands when they set to work, whereby it comes 
to pass that what they do is done quickly, and what they 
suffer, they bear with the greatest patience. In a case, 
therefore, where counsel still goes before action, and 
where, after taking the best advice, that advice is followed 
by so active an army, what wonder is it that Euphrates 
on the east, the ocean on the west, the most fertile regions 
of Libya on the south, and the Danube and Ehine on the 
north, are the limits of this Empire? One might well say 
that the Eoman possessions are not inferior to the Eomans 
themselves.” 


244 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

COUNCIL-OF-WAR IN THE TENT OF VESPASIAN. — WILY 

STRATAGEMS OF THE BESIEGED JEWS. JOTAPATA 

TAKEN, AND JOSEPHUS IMPRISONED. — BATTLE ON THE 
SEA OF GALILEE. 

Now let US glance within the council-tent of Vespasian. 
Upon a couch covered with the tawny skin of an African 
lion sat the scarred warrior, with head whitened by nearly 
sixty winters and the toils of many campaigns. His eyes 
were still alert and piercing, and his form erect. He was 
clad in shining armor of linked gold, below which fell the 
plaits of his white wool tunic. The muscles in his bare 
arms were knotted like whipcords, while his brawny hand, 
grasping his short sword, betokened familiarity with many 
hand-to-hand conflicts. His voice was full and command- 
ing, more harsh than sonorous, made husky and rasping 
by loud commands in many battles. He was, forsooth, a 
splendid specimen of the Roman soldier. 

Having first learned to obey, he had now learned to 
rule with an iron will, and would ere long display his 
powers to command in even wider domain than famous 
battlefields. 

Near Vespasian stood Titus a youth of twenty-seven, 
clad like his father in glowing armor, with the red mili- 
tary cloak fastened to his left shoulder with a golden 
eagle. The scabbard of his sword was encrusted with 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


245 


ametliysts and emeralds, and his helmet surmounted by 
the Homan eagle engraved in gold. 

By his side stood the tribune Placidus, the friend of 
Aziel. He, too, was in full armor of shining golden links, 
with a martial mantle hanging upon his left arm, which 
bore also a small shield or buckler. Other tribunes stood 
around Vespasian, while many captains of cohorts and 
centurions awaited without the tent the orders from this 
council-of-war. 

The tent was hung within with rich and Oriental tapes- 
tries, and adorned with many trophies of foreign wars. 
Persian rugs covered the earthen floor, and costly skins 
of various wild beasts made luxurious seats and couches of 
war-tent furniture. The gorgeous helmet of Vespasian, 
encrusted with many gems, lay on a small table at the 
right hand of the general, where war-maps of Galilee and 
Judea bore testimony to the martial method of the cam- 
paign. A slave knelt at the feet of Vespasian, buckling 
the golden greaves upon the feet and legs of the general, 
that his protective armor might be complete. 

But Titus and Placidus, disdaining such safeguards, were 
shod only in the military sandals, leaving their powerful 
and shapely limbs bare below the folds of their woollen 
tunics, hanging in heavy plaits beneath their sleeveless 
coats-of-mail. 

^^Dost thou intend an immediate assault, father?’’ in- 
quired Titus, noting the complete armor which Vespasian 
wore. 

‘^Nay; rather, I counsel a siege,” responded the general; 
“ but I am thus armed, for I intend to view the situation 
of the enemy, accompanied by my tribune, Placidus, and 
thyself, that thereby I may learn, if possible, the strength 
and power of the foe. Meanwhile, I do commission these 


246 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


tribunes and captains that they shall set my army to work 
to raise a bank against that part of the wall of the city 
most practicable. Let the soldiers cut down trees on 
these neighboring mountains, and gather together heaps 
of stones, and, moreover, protect themselves with hurdles 
of split timbers and twigs wattled together, that under 
cover of these crates they may form the banks, and be not 
hurt by the darts of the enemy. Let them also set the 
engines for throwing stones and darts round about the city, 
even to the number of one hundred and sixty machines; 
and let those engines fitted for hurling lances be in place, 
together with balls of fire and sharp-pointed arrows, that 
nothing be lacking to make the siege successful. Order 
also that the Arabian archers, well skilled in eye and 
hand, be not wanting. ” 

Thus was the Eoman army set speedily to work, and 
such was their activity and method that Jotapata was soon 
besieged on all sides, and the city in danger of being 
conquered. 

Meanwhile Vespasian, accompanied by Titus and Placi- 
dus, made a careful survey of the enemy’s position, and 
learned shortly how wily the Jews were in successful 
stratagems, as well as bold in sallies. For the Jews made 
adventurous sorties out of the city, and pulled away the 
hurdles protecting the Eoman workmen, and killed many; 
and where they could not seize the hurdles, they burnt 
them with fire, so that Vespasian found it necessary to 
join hurdle to hurdle for greater protection, and place his 
soldiers so closely together that the Jews could make no 
excursions between the different bands. 

Now, when the bank was raised, Josephus, though thus 
threatened, was yet ready with stratagems for the pre- 
servation of the city, and he ordered his workmen to build 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


247 


the city walls yet higher. When this appeared a seeming 
impossibility in the face of such powerful foes, he invented 
a sort of cover for his soldiers, which set at naught even 
the darts and stones and fire of his enemies. He ordered 
his men to fix piles upon the top of the city wall, and 
expand before them the raw hides of oxen newly killed, 
which hides, being yielding, hollowed themselves when 
stones were thrown against them, and, being moist, the 
darts would glance off, while the fire thrown upon them 
was quenched by the moisture in them. Thus protected, 
the walls of Jotapata were raised both day and night, till 
they stood twenty cubits high. 

Josephus also built strong towers upon the walls, and 
when the hide protections were removed, the Homans were 
amazed to behold such formidable battlements. 

Then Vespasian determined to starve the Jews into a 
surrender, and for a time left off fighting. 

Within the city of Jotapata, Josephus and the Jews 
were in sore straits ; for there being neither fountain nor 
spring of water in the city, the inhabitants began to suffer 
much from thirst. This news coming to the ears of the 
Homans, they deemed the destruction of the Jews near 
at hand, but Josephus again availed himself of a crafty 
stratagem. 

Calling to him many of the Jews, he thus addressed 
them, — 

“We must outwit our enemies. So, though our distress 
for water be great, nevertheless we must persuade the 
Homans that our supply is sufficient. Therefore, though 
the water is so little that it must be meted out to each 
inhabitant in small measures, yet, notwithstanding, I com- 
mand you to take your garments and dip them in this 
precious water, and hang them on the walls dripping, until 


248 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the water shall run down from them to the ground, and 
by this device we will deceive our foes, who will suppose 
that water must indeed be plenty, to be thus ruthlessly 
wasted.” 

This did the Jews, and the conclusion of the Komans 
regarding the matter was even as Josephus had supposed. 
Then did Vespasian despair of taking the city by their 
want of water and food, for Josephus had also outwitted 
him in regard to the scarcity of food, he having despatched 
some of his trusty soldiers through a certain rough and 
uneven path, so difficult of ascent that the Eomans had 
failed to guard it well, and these Jews, clothing them- 
selves in the skins of sheep, crawling on hands and knees, 
had been taken by their foes for dogs, even as they in- 
tended, and in this way had gone out from the city to 
neighboring places, and had returned well supplied with 
provisions. 

Moreover, the Jews, rendered desperate by their despair- 
ing condition, and preferring to die in battle rather than 
by hunger and thirst, made such bold sallies from the 
city, as much to discomfit the Komans, whose heavy armor 
impeded them in such hand-to-hand conflicts. 

Whereupon, Vespasian ordered the battering-rams to be 
brought nearer the battlements, and to be put in motion 
to make a breach in the walls. For this also were the 
wily Jews prepared, and fearing lest the heavy blows of 
the iron ram’s-heads would demolish their freshly erected 
defences, they filled sacks with chaff, and hung them down 
before such places as the strokes of the engines menaced, 
and by thus blunting the force of the blows, the walls 
were for a time preserved. It was of little avail that the 
Komans provided themselves with long poles with hooks 
at the ends, to cut off the sacks, for when this was accom- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


249 


plished, Josephus ordered his men to gather combustible 
materials and set fire to the engines and the hurdles, and 
thus the Eomans were occasioned much loss and trouble. 

There were also many valiant deeds performed by certain 
Jews that day. One, Eleazar, seizing a stone of enormous 
size, cast it down upon the iron ram’s-head of the engine, 
and brake off the head of the machine; and, moreover, 
such was his bravery, that when the ram’s-head fell down 
in the midst of his foes, he leaped straightway after it and 
caught it up, and clambered to the top of the wall amid a 
shower of darts, which pierced his naked body on all 
sides, till he was covered with wounds; yet was he not 
vanquished by dart or arrow until he had with triumph 
displayed his trophy from the top of the wall, when he fell 
down and died. 

Then Josephus set fire to the engines belonging to the 
Fifth and Tenth Legions, and did, moreover, put the 
soldiers to flight. 

Whereupon Vespasian, chagrined at such a disaster, 
exposed himself to the darts of the enemy, thinking only 
of finding some method of subduing these frenzied and 
brave Jews. 

‘‘Behold the general of Caesar!” cried a Jewish archer 
on the walls of the city. “Jehovah speed my arrow!” 
and forthwith he took aim at Vespasian, and did pierce 
him in the foot. 

“The general is wounded!” rang through the Eoman 
ranks; and Titus cried, running to his father’s side, — 

“Art thou dangerously injured, my father? By the 
Capitoline Jupiter! the Jewish dogs shall smart well for 
this!” 

“’Tis but a scratch from a dart,” replied Vespasian. 
“Quiet the fears of my troops, and forthwith make hot 


250 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


haste with the conflict, for these wily Jews are no mean 
foes.’’ 

“On with the engines!” cried Placidus, leading his 
legion in the thick of the fight; and his soldiers, joining 
shield to shield, did speedily come to the city wall, and 
placing their ladders, did attempt to scale the battlements. 

For this attack also was Josephus prepared. 

Give them the hot oil ! ” he cried to his men, who 
thereupon poured upon the Eomans a great quantity of 
boiling oil, which, running beneath their heavy armor, 
caused excruciating pain, burning the flesh of their faces 
and bodies, till they retreated in terrible torment. 

^‘By Hercules! these Jews are fierce fighters!” cried 
Placidus to Titus, as the legions fell back for a time. 

“Thou mayest well say it!” quoth Titus, who also had 
been discomfited by a stratagem of Josephus. For when 
Titus was endeavoring to ascend with his legion, on one 
side of the wall, by means of ladders and machines, the 
Jews had poured boiling senegreek upon the boards, mak- 
ing them so slippery that the Eomans fell backward; 
neither could those coming up, nor those going down, 
stand on their feet, but fell on the bank they had raised, 
and many were there slaughtered by the darts and arrows 
of the Jewish archers. 

It was now the forty-seventh day of the siege of Jotapata, 
and the banks thrown up by the Eomans had become higher 
than the walls. A Jewish soldier had been captured by 
the Eomans, and was brought to Vespasian, who demanded 
that he should reveal the condition of the city. 

“ISTay, verily! ” cried the Jew; never will I betray my 
countrymen ! ” 

“Put him to the torture!” commanded Vespasian, who, 
though not brutal, was nevertheless unrelenting in times 
of war. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


251 


But no torments extracted from the poor victim a word 
of disclosure regarding the affairs in the city 5 and then, 
exasperated beyond endurance by his obstinacy, Vespasian 
ordered that he should be crucified. When the Jew was 
nailed to the cross, he smiled defiantly at his executors, 
and died in silence. 

But at length a deserter informed Vespasian that the city 
might be captured in the last watch of the night, when 
the guard, worn out with watching and fighting, would 
probably be overpowered by sleep. Whereupon Titus and 
Placidus, accompanied by a part of the Fifteenth Legion, 
departed from the Koman camp about the last watch of the 
night, and marched noiselessly to the wall of the city, and 
having cut the throats of the sleeping guard, entered the 
city without opposition. 

When it was already day, the Jews were filled with 
consternation to find their enemies in the very midst of 
their city, and their citadel taken, and they themselves, 
and their families, prisoners of war. Whereupon many of 
the chief citizens, preferring death to slavery, thrust their 
swords through their own hearts, being determined to die 
the death of soldiers rather than to live the slaves of 
Kome. 

Then did Vespasian give orders that the city should be 
destroyed, and the battlements burnt. Moreover, all the 
Jewish men found alive at the taking of the city were 
slain, and the women and children were taken captives, 
even to the number of twelve hundred; and the number 
of the Jews killed in the taking of the city, and in the 
various conflicts, was forty thousand. 

Now Josephus had taken refuge in a deep pit, together 
with forty of the chief men of the city, and the Eomans 
searched diligently to find him, being very desirous of 
taking Josephus alive. 


252 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘By Saturn! this Josephus hides himself with much 
cunning from Eoman eyes!’^ quoth Titus to Placidus, as 
they searched among the dead, and scanned the faces of 
the living, and despatched bands of soldiers to ransack the 
recesses of the city, lest, perad venture, Josephus might 
escape their grasp. 

“This subtle Jew would make the siege of Jerusalem 
very lively by his crafty stratagems, if he doth slip 
through Eoman fingers, and gain an entrance there, con- 
tinued Titus. 

“If that unwelcome event cometh to pass,” rejoined 
Placidus, “may Jupiter give sharp wits to the Eomans, 
for my back still smarts from that vile bath of boiling oil, 
which strategy of the Jewish dogs, though much beneath 
the warlike tactics of Eoman soldiers, was, nevertheless, 
a wily manner of defence.” 

“Dost thou seek for Josephus?” inquired a Jewish 
woman standing near by. 

“In truth,” responded Titus; “and, by the Temple of 
Jupiter Capitolinus, than which a Eoman can swear by 
none higher, it shall go well with thee if thou canst reveal 
the hiding-place of this Josephus.” 

“ ’T is not to obtain mercy from the’ Eomans, but revenge 
on Josephus, that I will divulge the secret of his present 
refuge,” said the woman, while her dark eyes lighted with 
a glow of hatred, and her thin hands were raised in 
emphatic gestures to add the tragedy of action to the 
bitterness of her shrill tones. “Listen a moment, ere I 
lead ye thither, that ye may know how a Jewish woman 
scorned can hate, and take revenge. Before I was married 
to that citizen of Jotapata, who now lies there upon yonder 
heap of dead, slain by his own hand rather than bow the 
knee to Eoman conquerors, I was a member of the house- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


253 


hold of Queen Berenice; and I can say now, with seemly 
modesty, for all my charms of face are now dead things 
of the past, mine was the fairest countenance among her 
favored women. It was then that I first knew Josephus, 
who was honored by the patronage of King Agrippa; and 
then did Josephus greatly praise my beauty, and, more- 
over, so court my favor as to win my deepest affection, 
and lead me to betrothal, which, amongst Jewish maidens, 
is regarded sacred as marriage vows. 

And whilst I was preparing for wedlock, having bestowed 
my love upon Josephus most loyally, I received from him 
notice of a divorcement, for the Jewish betrothed, like 
wedded couples, can only be severed by divorce. And thus 
was I scorned by Josephus, because, forsooth, he had found 
some woman’s face which had taken his fickle fancy. So 
now will I seek revenge for that past insult, and as he 
made me slave in love to him, so I will deliver him up to 
become the slave of Home. Thus will I be avenged. 
Come! I will lead ye to the cave where he lies hidden, 
and he shall know that Judith, whom he scorned, can pay 
the debt of hate she owes him by a sweet revenge.” 

When the Homans had, by means of this woman, learned 
the secret of the hiding-place of Josephus, Vespasian 
sent to Josephus the tribune Kicanor, who was well known 
to the Jew in former times, that he might persuade him 
to surrender himself to the Homans, giving assurances to 
him that his life should be safe; for Vespasian desired to 
take so valiant a foe a prisoner, and he was determined 
to preserve a man of such courage. 

When the Jews learned that Josephus had received this 
proposal from Vespasian, they endeavored to persuade him 
to die with them, rather than surrender himself to their 
foes, and thus they cried out to him, — 


254 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘0 Josephus! art thou still fond of life? Canst thou 
care to live in slavery? Hast thou forgotten thy former 
bravery? We will lend thee our right hands and a sword, 
and if thou wilt die willingly, thou shalt die as general of 
the Jews; but if unwillingly, thou shalt die as a traitor 
to them.’’ 

Then was Josephus fearful of attack, and thought to 
restrain their fury by politic words, and he thus addressed 
them, — 

^^0 my friends! why are we so earnest to kill ourselves? 
It is a brave thing to die in war, but so that it be accord- 
ing to the law of war, by the hand of conquerors. If, 
therefore, I avoid death from the sword of the Komans, I 
am truly worthy to be killed by my own sword, and my own 
hand; but if they admit of mercy, and would spare their 
enemy, how much more ought we to have mercy upon our- 
selves, and to spare ourselves? For it is certainly a foolish 
thing to do that to ourselves which we quarrel with them 
for doing to us. I am willing freely to confess that it is a 
brave thing to die for liberty ; but he is equally a coward 
who will not die when he is obliged to die, and he who 
will die when he is not obliged so to do. And think ye 
not that God is much displeased when a man does injury to 
the life He has bestowed upon him? It is from Jehovah 
we have received our being, and we should leave it to the 
disposal of the Almighty to take away that being in His 
own good time. The bodies of all men are indeed mortal, 
and are created out of corruptible matter; but the soul is 
immortal, and was made in the image of the Creator of 
mankind. Do not ye know that those who depart out of 
this life according to the law of nature, and pay that debt 
they owe to God, when He that lent it to us is pleased to 
require it back again, enjoy eternal fame, that their souls 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


255 


are pure and obedient, and that they may, peradventure, 
obtain a most holy place in hearen? Whilst, perchance, 
the souls of those whose hands have acted madly against 
themselves may be received in the darkest place in Hades. 
If, after the offer of their right hand for security, I be 
slain by the Eomans, I shall die cheerfully.’’ 

Thus did Josephus argue with the Jews concealed 
within the cave with himself, to prevent their self- 
murder. But in their despair they shut their ears to his 
counsel, being determined to die rather than surrender. 
Then did Josephus resort to method to save himself, since 
his comrades were resolute to perish, and he said, — 

Since it is determined among you that you will die, let 
us commit our mutual deaths to determination by lot. He 
on whom the lot first falls, let him be killed by him that 
hath the second lot; nor shall any of us perish *by his own 
right hand, for it would be unfair, if, when the rest are 
gone, one of us should repent, and save himself.” 

Thus did it come to pass, when they had drawn lots, 
that he who had the first lot laid bare his neck to him that 
had the next lot, and at length, Josephus with one other 
only were left. Then did J osephus persuade this comrade 
that it were better for both to live than that one should 
kill the other. Whereupon Josephus surrendered himself 
to the Eomans, and was led by Nicanor into the presence 
of Vespasian. 

How, both Vespasian and Titus were desirous that so 
brave and sagacious a man as Josephus had shown himself 
to be, should be sent to Eome rather than be slain. But 
when Josephus learned of their intended disposition of him, 
he concluded that his own fate were better in the hands of 
Vespasian than in those of Hero; and, moreover, he 
announced that he had weighty matters which could be 


266 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


made known only to Vespasian. Accordingly, the general 
ordered all to withdraw from his presence, save only Titus 
and Placidus, and then Vespasian bade Josephus make 
known his thoughts. Then Josephus said, — 

“Thou, 0 Vespasian, thinkest no more than that thou 
hast taken Josephus himself captive; but 1 am come to 
thee as a messenger of greater tidings, for had not I been 
sent by God to thee, I knew what was the law of the Jews 
in this case, and how it becomes a general to die. Dost 
thou send me to Nero? For why? Are Nero’s successors, 
till they come to thee, still alive? Thou, 0 Vespasian, 
art Caesar and emperor, thou, and this thy son ! Bind me 
now still faster, and keep me for thyself; for thou, 0 
Caesar, art not only lord over me, but over the land, and 
the sea, and all mankind; and, in truth, I deserve to be 
kept in closer custody than I now am, in order to be 
punished, if I rashly affirm anything of God.” 

‘‘Thinkest thou not this some cunning trick?” asked 
Vespasian of his son. 

“Forsooth! I know not how to take the man,” responded 
Titus. “Such matters are not to be lightly listened to, 
for fear of a charge of treason; ” then turning to Josephus, 
Titus continued , “ If what thou sayest be not a vain thing, 
I wonder that thou didst not prophesy to the people of 
Jotapata that their city should be taken.” 

To which Josephus answered, — 

“I did, in truth, foretell to the inhabitants of Jotapata 
that they would be taken on the forty-seventh day, and 
that I should be caught alive by the Homans.” 

Whereupon Vespasian ordered Placidus to confer with 
the Jewish prisoners concerning this declaration of 
Josephus. 

And it came to pass that in the space of about an hour 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


257 


Placidus returned to the tent of Vespasian, and reported 
that it was even as Josephus had said, for the captives 
affirmed his predictions concerning the capture of the city; 
and thereupon Vespasian began to believe also what had 
been foretold regarding himself. Yet was Josephus not 
set at liberty, but was kept in honorable bonds by Vespasian 
and Titus, who bestowed upon him raiment and costly 
gifts, and treated him with much consideration, intending 
to give him freedom if these things should ever come to 
pass. 

Let us now turn to view a bloody battle which took 
place on the Lake of Gennesaret, called also the Sea of 
Galilee. The country which lies over against this lake is 
wonderful for beauty and fertility; it is the garden of 
Galilee, watered by the river of Jordan, and with a soil so 
fruitful that it combines the verdure of both cold and 
warm climates. The purple clusters of the grapes may be 
gathered from the vines during ten months of the year, 
while figs hang on the trees at all seasons, and walnuts 
requiring the coldest air grow side by side with tropical 
palm-trees , while olive groves, needing a temperate climate, 
flourish, and all varieties of vegetation find there a con- 
genial air and soil. And besides the good temperature 
of the air, this region is also watered from a bounteous 
fountain. 

The Lake of Gennesaret in length is one hundred and 
forty furlongs; its breadth is forty; its waters are sweet 
to drink, and though the water is temperate when drawn 
up, yet, if left in the open air, it becomes as cold as snow. 

The city of Tarichese is situated on the southwestern 
border of this lake. Vespasian, who had returned to 
Caesarea Philippi, having heard that Taricheae had re- 
volted, came with three legions of soldiers, and pitched 

17 


268 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


his camp near Tiberias, awaiting his son, Titus, to bring 
up the remainder of the army. Titus having at length 
joined his father, Vespasian sent him with six hundred 
chosen horsemen to disperse a great multitude of the Jews 
who had gathered upon the plain near the city. 

But when Titus perceived that the enemy was very 
numerous, he sent word to his father that he would require 
more troops ; and meanwhile, that he might encourage his 
soldiers to fight, if needs be, even against such odds, he 
thus addressed them : — 

My brave Eomans ! — for it is right for me to put you 
in mind to what nation ye belong, so that ye may not be 
ignorant who you are, and who are they against whom we 
are going to fight — ye know verily, regarding us Eomans, 
that no habitable part of the known earth has been able to 
withstand our power; but as for the Jews, though they 
have been already beaten, yet do they not give up the 
cause; and a sad thing it would be for us to grow weary 
under our good fortune, when they bear up under their 
calamities. Consider farther that you are to have a con- 
flict with men in effect unarmed, while you are well 
armed; with footmen, while you are horsemen; with those 
who have no good general, while you have one; and as 
these advantages make you in effect manifold more than 
you are, so do their disadvantages mightily diminish their 
number. Now it is not the multitudes of men that give suc- 
cess in war, but it is their bravery that does it, though they 
be few. The Jews have boldness and rashness, and those 
passions, forsooth, make a great figure when they succeed, 
but are quite extinguished in times of ill fortune ; but we 
are led on by courage, and obedience, and fortitude, which 
are not only apparent in our good fortune, but do not 
desert us in misfortune. Verily, this is an opportunity 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


259 


wherein my father, and I, and you, shall all be put to the 
trial, whether he be worthy of his former glorious per- 
formances, whether I be his son in reality, worthy to bear 
his name, and whether you be really my soldiers. It is 
usual for my father to conquer, and I could not endure 
the shame of returning to him if I should be taken by the 
enemy. And how will you be able to avoid being ashamed, 
if you do not show equal courage with your commander, 
when he goes before you in danger? For you know very 
well that I shall go first into the danger, and make the 
first attack upon the enemy.’’ 

These brave words of Titus inflamed the ardor of his 
soldiers to frenzy, and as the reinforcements from Vespasian 
then arrived, the band under Titus regretted much that 
any aid should have come to take from them some of the 
credit of the expedition. 

Whereupon Titus, mounting his horse, rode first against 
the foe, cheering his men with resolute action and brave 
words. Then did the Jews meet this onset with boldness, 
but being hotly pressed by the horsemen of Titus, and 
many of them having been slain, the rest retreated to the 
city. 

Then was there a great tumult in the city, the majority 
of the inhabitants being opposed to war, and the seditious 
portion being eager for battle ; which clamor was so loud, 
that it was heard by Titus without the wall, who there- 
ujDon cried to his men, — 

“ Soldiers ! now is the time ! Take the victory which is 
given to you by this dissension amongst the Jews! ” 

Saying this, Titus leaped upon his horse and rode down 
to the lake, and entered the city the first of them all, being 
quickly followed by his brave troops. 

Then did the frightened inhabitants flee to the lake, and 


260 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


try to take refuge in the boats gathered there. But there 
was a great slaughter made in the city before Titus had 
punished the authors of the revolt. 

Word being brought to Vespasian of this success of his 
son, he immediately fitted up many ships to pursue those 
Jews who had escaped in the boats. 

Then followed a bloody fight upon the lake, between the 
vessels sent by Vespasian and the weak ships of the 
fleeing Jews. Then did the blue waters of the Sea of 
Galilee turn to red, from the blood of the slain, for the 
Jews, being lightly armed, were pierced with the Eoman 
darts; and many were the hand-to-hand conflicts, as the 
Eomans leaped into the Jewish ships, swords in hand, and 
cut down all within their reach. And those of the Jews 
who were not pierced by darts, and slashed to pieces by 
the swords, or cut by the long spears of their foes, were 
thrown into the lake, and if they lifted their drowning 
heads above the waves, straightway a Eoman lance trans- 
fixed them, or a Eoman sword beheaded them. 

The shores of the lake were full of shipwrecks, and the 
beautiful beach of the sea lay piled up with heaps of the 
dead. The bloody waters flamed red beneath the noonday 
sun. The pure air was befouled by the putrefying masses, 
and the fertile banks were changed from a blooming garden 
into a ghastly burial-place, where the dead lay uninterred, 
and the vultures and jackals held hideous carnival under 
the midnight sky. 

When this fight was over, Vespasian sat in tribunal in 
the city of Tarichese, to determine what should be the fate 
of the prisoners yet alive. And now we must note the 
most cruel and barbarous action of Vespasian during this 
Judean War. Nor, as it appears, did Titus give con- 
sent to this base deed, nor did Vespasian himself exult 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 261 

therein, but was seemingly forced thereto by his unfeeling 
counsellors. 

Though Vespasian did not personally adjudge death to 
the victims, he gave them an ambiguous liberty, by per- 
mitting them to depart on the road to Tiberias, while the 
Komans seized upon all the roads leading from the city, 
thereby preventing their retreat. Then the inhabitants 
were brought before Vespasian in the stadium of the city, 
and he commanded that all the old men, and useless 
persons, should be slain, which was done, to the number 
of twelve hundred. And of the young men, Vespasian 
chose six thousand of the strongest of them, and sent them 
to Nero, and the remainder, being over thirty thousand, 
Vespasian sold for slaves, except such as he gave to King 
Agrippa. This ignoble act was done by Vespasian, after 
a public assurance had been given the prisoners of sparing 
their lives, and when it was also known that these victims 
were in no wise guilty of the revolt against the Eomans. 
Nor was Vespasian disposed to commit this inhuman deed, 
until his officers had persuaded him thereto by these 
arguments: “That nothing could be unjust that was done 
against the Jews, and that when both cannot be consistent, 
advantage must prevail oyqy justice, 


262 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTEE XV. 

THE FALL OF NERO. — VESPASIAN DECLARED EMPEROR, 
AND TITUS INTRUSTED WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE 
JEWISH WAR. — TITUS ADVANCES TOWARDS JERUSALEM. 
— SCENE IN THE HOUSE ON ZION’s HILL. — THE ASSEM- 
BLY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE XYSTUS. — THE ZEALOTS 
SEND FOR AID TO THE IDUM^ANS. 

While these events were convulsing Galilee, affairs were 
threatening Xero in Home. Vindex, a Gallo-Eoman , scion 
of a royal house in Aquitania, while prefect of Farther 
Gaul, made overtures to Servius Sulpicius Galba, who, for 
several years, had governed Hither Spain, that they should 
make a simultaneous revolt against Nero. Galba was an 
old and distinguished officer, being seventy-three years of 
age. When at Delphi, Xero had consulted the oracle 
about his future fortunes, and had been warned against 
the seventy -third year; Xero had failed to see the signifi- 
cant fact, as pointing towards Galba. 

Vindex had fixed his eyes on Galba as the ablest of the 
class from which the tides of fortune might make an 
emperor. Xero seemed blind to his impending fate, and 
though warned of the revolt against him, he amused the 
Eoman nobles, who had come to discuss with him the 
affairs of state, by explaining to them the mechanism of 
a new water organ, on which he smilingly declared he 
purposed to perform in public, adding with satire that 
such was his intention ^‘with Vindex^ s good leave Once 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


263 


more Nero celebrated the games of the circus ; once again 
he piped and sang; once again, with strange apathy, he 
drove his chariot, seemingly indifferent to his approaching 
doom. 

Vindex, having taken his own life, being baffled in his 
conspiracy not by Nero’s sagacity, but through the mis- 
understanding of his accomplices, the puny Emperor con- 
sidered his position safe, and resumed his heedless life, 
little regarding the advancing hour of retribution. 

At length, as courier after courier dashed into Eome, 
proclaiming the defection of generals and legions, Nero, 
like a whining child, exclaimed, — 

Never was such ill fortune as mine! Other Caesars 
have fallen by the sword, but I alone must lose the Empire, 
still living! ” 

One moment he declared that he would take ship for 
Alexandria, and there earn his subsistence by singing in 
the streets. The next, he called upon the Eoman citizens 
to rise in his behalf, and ordered his courtesans and 
dancers to be attired and armed as Amazons, to attend him 
in his march. Again he cried that he would slay every 
Gaul in Eome, massacre the senate, and let loose the caged 
lions in the streets, and lay the Imperial City in ashes. 
Then he would weep and lament his fate with hysterical 
excitement, and weakly propose to go and meet the rebels, 
trusting to his beauty, his tears, and his persuasive voice, 
to move the hearts of his enemies. 

The populace of Eome, at first indifferent, were now 
clamoring against Nero, enraged to fury by finding that a 
vessel, lately arrived from Alexandria, bearing, as they 
supposed, corn for the starving inhabitants, was laden, not 
with food, but with fine sand to spread upon the arena of 
the amphitheatre. 


264 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


The frightened tryant, terrified at last by the threats 
which reached his ears, sprang from his couch at supper, 
dashed his costly cups upon the ground, and taking a vial 
of poison from Locusta, who had heretofore aided him by 
preparing doses of poison for others whom lie desired to 
be rid of, rushed forth into the gardens, calling upon cer- 
tain tribunes and centurions to attend him in his flight. 
But all his guards and attendants refused to accompany 
him, and one cried out bluntly, — 

Is it then so hard to die ! ’’ 

When at midnight he returned to his palace, every slave 
had fled ; his chamber had been robbed even of the precious 
poison, and not a guard was at hand to lend him his 
sword. 

I have neither friend nor foe to help me die ! ” he 
cried, in despair. 

At length one freedman, Phaon, offered him the refuge 
of his villa, four miles from the city. Throwing a rough 
cloak over his shoulders, with bare feet, and a handker- 
chief to mask his face, the wretched ISTero glided like a 
pursued ghost through his dismantled palace, mounted a 
horse, and, accompanied by three slaves and Phaon, 
passed through the city gates at dawn. The road was full 
of travellers asking for news of Nero. The mutterings of 
the Praetorian guards, calling down curses upon his hated 
head, were wafted to his ears as he fled in terror. 

A thunderstorm added to the wild horror of the hour. 
The lightnings darted athwart the morning sky, and the 
shock of an earthquake made the earth to tremble. Nero’s 
horse shied at a dead body on the roadside, and the hand- 
kerchief falling from his face, revealed his identity to a 
passing praetorian. Peaching the villa, and dismounting, 
Phaon desired Nero to crouch in a sandpit near by, while 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


265 


he should endeavor to open a drain leading to the bath- 
room of the villa, that thus the wretched man might be 
admitted to the house unperceived; but the trembling 
tyrant declared that he would not “ go alive underground^ ” 
and stooping to a muddy pool, took some water in his 
hand, exclaiming, with puerile sarcasm, — 

“ This is the famous drink of Nero ! ” referring to a 
favorite beverage of sweetened water, which Kero himself 
had invented. 

At length a hole was made, through which the dethroned 
Emperor crept on his hands and knees into a wretched 
chamber, and threw himself upon a tattered couch, sigh- 
ing, and with tears exclaiming, — 

“ What an artist to perish ! ” 

Kow he implored some of the slaves to set him an 
example how to die; then he ordered them to dig a grave, 
reproaching himself for his cowardice, crying in Greek: 

‘^Eie! Kero, fie! Courage, man! Come, rouse thee!” 

At length the trampling of horsemen was heard without, 
and Kero, starting up, quoted the line of Homer, — 

Sound of swift-footed steeds strikes on my ear,’” as 
he placed a weapon to his breast, and an attendant slave 
drove it to the heart of the doomed Emperor. 

Thus perished this monster of crime ! this strange con- 
tradiction of artistic tastes and bestial brutality! this 
execrated tyrant! this character of infamy! at the age 
of thirty years and six months, in the fourteenth year of 
his disgraceful reign, a. d. 68. 

Vespasian, having been informed of the death of Kero, 
and that Galba had been made emperor, forthwith sent 
Titus to Home to salute Galba, and to learn his commands 
regarding the Jews. 

But as Titus was sailing by the coasts of Greece, word 


266 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


came that Galha had been slain, having reigned seven 
months, and that Otho was chosen in his place. 

Then did Titus return speedily to his father, bearing 
this important news, and while Vespasian and his son were 
in suspense regarding the sequel of affairs, reports came 
that Otho and Vitellius had come to arms regarding the 
kingdom, and the soldiers of Vitellius gaining the victory, 
Otho had slain himself, after reigning three months, and 
Vitellius had thereby come to the throne of Home. 

Then did the officers and soldiers of Vespasian declare 
their general to be better entitled to wear the royal purple 
than Vitellius, whose fame as a soldier was not so great as 
that of Vespasian; and they consulted, and said, — 

“ Truly our Vespasian has the greater capacity for govern- 
ing, and hath, withal, the skill and wisdom which comes 
with years, and in his son, Titus, we have also strength 
and bravery ; thus shall we secure the advantages of both 
ages, and it is more seemly that our generals be made 
emperors, they who have borne the labors of such great 
wars, than that the senate, perchance, may choose an 
emperor whom Homan soldiers would despise.’’ 

Thus did Vespasian’s legions determine to force upon 
him the government of Home, and would accept from him 
no refusal to their demands that they salute him as 
emperor. 

Then did Vespasian make ready for his journey to 
Home, intrusting to his son Titus the completion of the 
Jewish war. Having proved that the prophecy made by 
Josephus was not a vain boast, Vespasian released the 
Jew from imprisonment, and honored him by many marks 
of respect, and Josephus then became one of the counsel- 
lors of Titus, and was employed by him as a mediator 
between the Homans and the Jews. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


267 


Now we must return to Jerusalem. The Zealots still 
continued to hold the Temple, while the numbers of the 
seditious had been increased by an influx of refugees from 
various parts of Galilee, who fled from the cities attacked 
by Vespasian. Of these, the boldest was one John of 
Gischala, who had fled with a body of armed men from 
his native city when Titus had encompassed Gischala. 

All of Galilee being now subject to Eoman rule, Titus 
was advancing with his army towards Jerusalem. 

Meanwhile the inhabitants of the Holy City were much 
distressed by the state of affairs in their beloved city, for 
the more moderate of the populace sided with Ananus 
against these unlawful deeds of the Zealots, more espe- 
cially the wicked desecration of the Holy Temple. The 
Zealots had reached such a pitch of profanation, that they 
had dared to choose for themselves a high priest, one 
Phannias, a rustic, and unlearned, and one most unworthy 
to hold the sacred office. 

The people could no longer bear the insolence of these 
unholy actions, but were zealous to overthrow this rebel 
tyranny. Meanwhile the strife in the city waxed hotter 
than ever; for Eleazar the Zealot prevailed against the 
people and Ananus, the High Priest, for Eleazar had laid 
hold of the money which Cestius, the Eoman, was provid- 
ing for the wages of his soldiers, and Eleazar had also 
robbed the public treasury of the city, having slain Antipas, 
the treasurer of Jerusalem. 

Then did riot run high in the Holy City. The Sicarii 
and the Zealots caused tumults without number, and filled 
the whole city with robbery and slaughter, as though it 
were not enough misfortune which threatened Jerusalem, 
when the victorious Eoman army was daily advancing 
towards its walls. These internal insurrections convulsed 


I 


268 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the city from centre to circumference, and it would appear 
as though the very spirits of evil had entered the souls of 
these seditious Jews, to lure them on to their inevitable 
destruction; for instead of combining together against 
their common and powerful enemy, Eome, they fought 
one with the other, by day and night, so that the more 
prudent of the inhabitants looked upon the Komans as 
friends, rather than foes, who might deliver their city 
from this terrible and disgraceful civil war. 

In the house of Ananus, on Zion’s Hill, there were sad 
faces, and many troubled conversations regarding these 
menacing dangers. Jessica alone smiled, even when she 
wept, and maintained a steadfast courage, which was, to 
the drooping spirits of her careworn father and more 
anxious sister, like the refreshment of the dew upon the 
sun-parched plains of Galilee. For the flesh of man is 
mortal, and though the spirit is willing, the mortal frame 
is very weak. 

^^What would we do without the merry child in these 
troublous times?” asked old Eachel of Miriam, after one 
of Jessica’s bright sallies of wit, as the young girl retired 
from the room singing. But little they knew that the 
courageous child went to the retirement of her own 
chamber to weep her blue eyes dim with burning tears, 
for it was not child-like unconsciousness of danger which 
rendered Jessica so seemingly unmoved, but it was rather 
the strong spirit of an undaunted will, glowing in her 
woman’s breast, which trials should but heat to the white 
glow of tempered steel. For such a soul can neither be 
conquered by sorrow nor obstacle, and only the weight of 
personal disgrace, caused by one’s own follies, can impede 
the flight of the white wings of such a nature towards the 
mountain-tops of an unfettered freedom. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


269 


Jessica could brave a martyr,’s fate with unflinching 
fortitude, but she could brook no meanness in her own 
soul, and she disdained with haughty contempt the whining 
complaints of weak natures, though she would stoop with 
tenderest pity over a suffering child, and eagerly lend her 
own white hand to raise a fallen sister, if so be her own 
soul might remain spotless as the snowflakes. 

Miriam was the personification of sweet submissiveness, 
unselfish devotion, and passive endurance. She would 
bear the wrong uncomplainingly, living her own beautiful 
life, unstained by any act of selfishness or by any word 
of unkindness; but Jessica would fight for the right, 
deeming it beneath her to submit to the wrong which her 
own courage could defy. 

Miriam was the white dove in the fragrant cedar groves 
of Sharon; Jessica was the mountain eaglet, undaunted by 
the glare of the mid-day sun, unawed by the dizzy heights 
of the steep purple peaks. 

Upon the roof -balcony sat Ananus, wearied and dis- 
heartened by the grievous load which weighed down his 
aged shoulders. Aziel and his father had come to counsel 
with the noble High Priest, who would sacrifice his life 
to prevent this awful desecration of the Holy Temple of 
Jehovah, the honor of which consecrated place he held the 
dearest object of his reverent and devout heart. 

His venerable head was bent upon his breast, where rested 
the sacred ephod, badge of his high priest’s ofiice; and 
his eyes, dim with tears, were cast downward towards the 
floor of the pavilion , for he had not the heart to raise them 
towards that beloved Temple, so polluted by ruthless men. 

Miriam stood by her father’s shoulder, with her loving 
hand laid upon his white hair, from which the heavy 
turban was removed, that the soft evening air might give 
ease to his aching temples. 


270 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Jessica sat upon a divan near a trellis, over whicli clam- 
bered the beautiful rock rose; and she toyed with a pet 
bird, which pecked the sugar from her slender finger, 
seemingly amusing herself, but in reality alert to catch the 
rumors of the civil disturbances. A very wily diplomate 
would Jessica have made, and Queen Berenice herself had 
not more politic intuitions than this youthful maiden, 
watching with keen perceptions for lurking dangers threat- 
ening those she loved. 

^^What news to-night, Aziel?” asked Ananus, rousing 
himself from his dejection. 

“ The Zealots have still farther proceeded in their 
wicked profanation, and have dared to elect for themselves 
one whom they call a high priest, thus setting aside the 
law of inheritance according to which our chief priests 
were wont to be appointed.’’ 

At these ill tidings Ananus groaned in spirit, and was 
greatly troubled ; for this Ananus was a wise and prudent 
man, and might haply have saved the city if his words 
had been heeded by the frenzied rebels. Kising from his 
divan, and replacing the turban upon his head, he 
said : — 

must appeal once more to the people ere it be too 
late. Peradventure they will take heed to my counsel; 
or, if not, my conscience will be clear regarding my efforts 
in defence of Jerusalem, and the Holy Temple of the Great 
Jehovah.” 

^‘Thou wilt not surely go to-night, father? ” cried 
Miriam, in alarm. 

“It must needs be so, my daughter! Delay may prove 
fatal.” 

“ Let me go with thee to the Xystus, father ! ” exclaimed 
Jessica. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 271 

nay, dear child! What would a tender woman 
like thee do in a crowd of frenzied rebels? 

^‘Fear not for me, father!’’ rejoined the young girl, 
springing from her couch, and handing her bird to Eachel ; 
then appearing at the stairway, said, “If they harm thy 
gray hairs, it shall be through the heart of Jessica! ” 

Brave child! thy tender arms cannot ward off the blow, 
if a blow must come upon this aged head. And were it 
not for thee and Miriam, death would be welcome to this 
burdened heart, now that the Holy Temple of my God is 
thus polluted;” and turning to Berachiah, he continued, 
‘^Old friend, and Aziel, my son, hear this my testimony 
to the Nazarene, whom I now believe to be the Christ. I 
am convinced that Jehovah would not thus allow His 
sacred Temple to be profaned, and His altars polluted by 
the bloody hands of godless men, unless He had provided 
a refuge for His faithful people, through the Messiah, 
promised of old to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. I 
think now that this earthly Temple will be destroyed, that 
the spiritual kingdom of the Christ, the Divine Son of 
God, may be established throughout the world. Jehovah 
has honored me in allowing me to be a high priest, chosen 
according to our sacred laws; for this great privilege I 
thank my God with reverent heart, and do now prepare 
myself to meet the doom which shall befall me in the 
coming struggle, hoping for an entrance into the Higher 
Temple, even though I be there but the humblest door- 
keeper, in which Heavenly Temple the Christ shall be 
forever the Great High Priest.” 

As the majestic old man pronounced these solemn words, 
his careworn face was lifted towards the starry heavens, 
and his trembling hands were outstretched, not towards 
the desecrated Temple on Mount Moriah, but to the heavens 


272 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


above, where, with the eye of faith, he beheld the glorious 
Temple of the New Jerusalem, filled with the effulgent 
light of the Everlasting Shechinah. 

Then did Ananus go forth to meet the assembly of the 
people gathered in the Xystus, if, peradventure, he might 
yet restrain their frenzy by prudent words of counsel. 
Berachiah and Aziel accompanied him thither, whither we 
will follow them. 

In the midst of the people Ananus lifted up his hands, 
and thus spake : — 

“ Verily it had been good for me to die before I had seen 
the House of God full of so many abominations, or those 
sacred places, which should only be trodden by the un- 
sandalled feet of priests, pressed by the unholy feet of 
blood-shedding rebels. I, who am clothed with the vest- 
ments of high-priesthood, and am called by that most 
venerable name of High Priest, would glory in such death, 
in my old age, as should help to purify these desecrated 
courts, if, by my death, this might be accomplished. Will 
ye bear to see your Sanctuary trampled on? And will ye 
lay steps for these profane wretches, upon which they may 
mount to higher degrees of insolence? Will ye not pluck 
them down from their exaltation? For even by this time 
they would have proceeded to higher enormities, if they 
had been able to overthrow anything greater than the 
Sanctuary. 

Perhaps ye wait for the Komans, that they may protect 
our holy places. Are we come to that degree of misery 
that our enemies themselves are expected to pity us? Hid 
not our people of old undergo many and great wars for 
the sake of liberty; nor were they so far overcome by the 
power of the Egyptians or the Medes but that still they 
did what they thought fit, notwithstanding their commands 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


‘ 273 


to the contrary? Verily, if the Eomans should conquer 
you, what could ye suffer worse or more grievous than 
what ye now endure at the hands of these Zealots? — for 
whereas the Komans went not into the Holy Place, which 
it is not lawful but for the priests to enter, these men, 
being as they say, Jews, profane it daily. Wherefore, rise 
ye against these rebels who pollute the Holy Temple ! and 
if there should be danger in the attempt, it is a right thing 
to die before these holy gates, and to spend our very lives 
for God’s sake, and the sake of His Sanctuary. I will 
assist you both with my counsel and with my hand, and 
shall count not my life dear unto myself, if so be that I 
may help to purify the House of Jehovah.” 

Then were the people moved by these words of Ananus 
to take up arms against the Zealots, and they cried out to 
him to lead them against those wicked violators of the 
peace and holiness of the beloved city of Jerusalem. 

Then Ananus, aided by Berachiah and Aziel, proceeded 
to choose out such men as should be put in array for fight- 
ing the Zealots; but the rebels, having come to know of 
his purpose, at early day sallied forth from the Temple, 
and slew such of the populace as they met. 

Now Ananus did not think fit to make any attack upon 
the holy gates of the Temple, and also deemed it unlawful 
to introduce the populace into the court before they were 
purified; he therefore chose out six thousand armed men, 
and placed them as guards in the cloisters; so there was 
a succession of guards, one after another, all the citizens 
being obliged to take their turns. 

Thus passed the ensuing day, when Ananus was betrayed 
in the following manner. John of Gischala, being a man 
crafty of speech, and double-faced in bearing, did pretend 
to be of the party of Ananus, cultivating the greatest 


18 


274 * 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


friendship for the chief men of Jerusalem, but being, 
meanwhile, a spy upon them, revealing to the Zealots all 
the plans he learned when counselling with the moderate 
party, of which Ananus was leader. And so far did 
Ananus and his party believe in his good faith, that they 
made this same John their ambassador into the Temple 
with the Zealots, that, peradventure, they might come to 
some terms without bloodshed and further profanation of 
the Sanctuary. 

Kow this John did so belie his trust that he inflamed 
the Zealots against the moderate party, falsely accusing 
Ananus to the rebels, as having sent messengers to Titus 
that he should come without delay and take the city. 
“Wherefore,” continued this base betrayer, “ye must 
either submit yourselves to Ananus, or seek help from 
without. If ye submit yourselves, ye know well what 
mercy ye may look for, remembering what things ye have 
already committed against the populace and against the 
Temple.” 

Wherefore Eleazar and his followers determined to defy 
Ananus, and send for help to the Idumaeans, which they 
did in the following letter, despatched by secret messengers 
to Idumaea, which land is also Edom. Thus wrote the 
Zealots to the Idumaeans: — 

“Being informed that Ananus, the High Priest, having 
deceived the people, is ready to betray the city to the 
Eomans, and we, having rebelled against him, are besieged 
in the Temple, and must perish speedily unless we have 
succor, we pray you that ye come to our help, and to the 
help of the city against the Komans.” 

This letter was sent by two fleet runners, who failed not 
to deliver it to the chief men of Idumaea, who forthwith 
gathered an army of two thousand men, under Simon, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


275 


son of CathlaS; and they marched with all haste to 
Jerusalem. 

Then ran Aziel, who had gotten news of the coming of 
the Idumseans, to Ananus, who, with Berachiah, awaited 
events in the council-hall in the Xystus, and he cried, — 
John of Gischala hath betrayed us, and hath summoned 
an army from without, who even now approacheth the 
walls!” 

Command that the gates be closed to all comers ! ” 
ordered Ananus ; which being done, Ananus declared that 
he purposed not to fight against the Idumseans, but 
would win them over, if possible, to their side, without 
bloodshed. 

Whereupon Ananus commissioned a certain Joshua, who 
was next to himself among the priests, that he should go 
up on a turret of the wall and speak peaceably with Simon, 
the leader. Moreover, Ananus, Berachiah, and Aziel did 
also accompany Joshua, being fearless of their own safety 
when their presence might speed the welfare of their city. 
Then did J oshua thus address the Idumseans : — 

“Know ye that this accusation of treason which they 
bring against us is altogether false ; and indeed no proof 
can they show of any letter which we have sent to the 
Komans. But as for the deeds which they have committed 
against our people, and against our Holy House, come ye 
in now, not as conquerors , but as friends to the right and 
to justice ; and ye shall see for yourselves, for our houses 
are made desolate, And our streets are full of mourners ; 
and even the Holy Place doth run red with blood, and is 
profaned by the unhallowed feet of wicked rebels, who 
seek to lay Jerusalem in the dust.” ^ 

To these words Simon, the leader of the Idumaeans, 
made reply, — 


276 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘We are come to defend the Holy City against traitors 
and enemies, and we will not depart thence till this has 
been accomplished.’^ 

Perceiving the treachery lurking in these defiant words, 
Ananus commanded that the gates of the city should not 
be opened; and Aziel was despatched to double the guards 
at all points, while Ananus retired with Berachiah to the 
headquarters of the army, formed of those citizens desirous 
of protecting their city from these enemies within and 
without. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY 


277 


CHAPTEE XVI. 

THE TERRIBLE TEMPEST, AND THE DEATH OF ANANUS, 

THE HIGH PRIEST. JESSICA IN THE ROBBER^S CAVE. 

— RIOTS AMONG THE ZEALOTS. — TITUS BEFORE THE 
WALLS OF JERUSALEM. 

Now it came to pass, as the night advanced, that a tre- 
mendous storm broke over the city; and so great were the 
thunderings, and so fierce the torrents of rain, that Ananus 
deemed the city would be secure from attack on account 
of this terrible tempest. And this was the picture of 
Jerusalem on that momentous night. 

Without the walls were gathered the Idumaeans, joining 
their shields one to another above their heads, that thus 
they might be protected from the floods of rain, which 
now fell from the black skies, broken now and then by 
blinding flashes of lightning, while the artillery of thunder 
boomed through the air like the cannons of Jupiter let 
loose upon Mount Olympus, to the pagan ear, or like the 
awful voice of the Great Jehovah, thundering forth His 
displeasure upon a disobedient nation, to the ears of the 
devout Jews, while the windows of heaven seemed opened 
to pour down upon the wicked world another deluge, and 
the finger of Elohim wrote upon the battlements of the 
clouds, in the flashes of lightning which blazed forth. His 
protest against the sins of His rebellious people. Added 
to these convulsions of nature, the hosts of the power of 
darkness, and spirits of evil, were profaning the Hallowed 


278 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


House, and the demons of wicked passions were inflaming 
the souls of men, and goading them on to their direful 
destruction. Jerusalem was indeed possessed with legions 
of devils, more deadly to its peace than Eoman cohorts 
and Thracian spears. 

In the Temple on Mount Moriah, fierce robbers, with 
hands dyed with their brothers’ blood, held a high carnival 
of crime; and one could almost imagine the leering faces 
of devils to be peering forth from the sacred veils of the 
Holy Place, laughing to scorn these dupes of their in- 
fernal schemes, for even the devils acknowledged Jesus of 
Nazareth; for had not the unclean spirit cried out, — 

know Thee who thou art, — the Holy One of God! ” 

Yet these blinded men failed to perceive Him who had 
been sent from Heaven as the Eedeemer of the world. 

But the echoes of the holy footsteps of the Christ could 
be heard by believing ears, above the convulsions of nature, 
and the revels of devils, and the conflicts of bloodthirsty 
men. 

On Zion’s Hill, in the midst of the awful tempest rock- 
ing the earth and lashing the heavens, and the tumults of 
men desecratiug the Holy City, and flooding its sacred 
sites with rivers of blood, three believing women knelt in 
prayer; and to the hearts of Miriam, Jessica, and Eachel, 
the Divine Christ sent His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, 
to pour the healing balm of faith into their anguished 
souls. 

As the hour of midnight was cried by the watch in the 
city, the guards in the cloisters, thinking the storm would 
prove a sufficient safeguard, and being overpowered by 
wearying vigils, dispersed themselves in the porches of the 
Temple to sleep. Whereupon the Zealots took the sacred 
saws out from the Temple, and cut through the bolts of 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


279 


the gate that was nearest to the Idumaeans, for the noise 
of the sawing was not heard for the roaring of the wind 
and the loud pealing of the thunder; and through this 
gate straightway the Idumseans were admitted into the 
city, and joining with the Zealots in the Temple, they set 
upon the sleeping guards, and slew many of them, while 
the remainder fled. 

Then was the noise of battle more terrible than the 
raging of the storm, and all the courts of the Temple were 
swimming with blood; then was the rage of the Zealots 
and Idumaeans not abated, but they forthwith rushed 
towards that part of the city where Ananus , together with 
Berachiah and Joshua the priest, were gathering their 
troops to defend the city. 

Where is that arch-traitor Ananus? ” cried the Zealots. 

“ So, forsooth, he would open the gates to the Komans, 
and not to us! exclaimed the Idumaeans; ^4et him learn 
now how traitors are slain ! ” 

Thus the cry rang through the streets, and the rebels 
sought wildly for Ananus. 

Quick! flee for thy life! ’’ importuned Aziel, as he ran 
to the High Priest, standing with calm dignity to meet his 
bloodthirsty foes. 

“Nay, my son! ” replied the old hero; “a high priest of 
Jehovah never flees from his post of duty! If thou lovest 
me, flee thyself to my house, and protect my daughters, 
while their father must needs stand at his post. Go thou 
also, my friend!’’ he continued, turning to Berachiah; 
“thy duty detains thee not here; save thyself!” 

“ Nay, verily ! ” exclaimed Berachiah, “ let the youth 
go to protect those who need his strong right arm ; but let 
the aged fall where their death will be worthy of their 
country and their God ! ” 


280 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


“Come, I beseech ye both!^’ cried Aziel, resolute to 
brave danger, but thinking flight not unseemly when death 
could avail nothing in behalf of Jerusalem, and life was 
so valuable to those he loved. 

But at this moment the frenzied mob came rushing 
towards the group, and again the brutal cry for the blood 
of Ananus rang upon the air. The High Priest cast one 
imploring glance at Aziel, and exclaimed, — 

“ If thou dost love me, save my daughters ! ” 

And even as Aziel turned to do his bidding, the Idu- 
maeans sprang upon the aged priest, and slew him with 
their bloody swords ; so also did they to Berachiah , and to 
the priest Joshua. Hor was the thirst for blood thereby 
satiated, for the Idumaeans fell upon the noblest of the 
people, and cut their throats, as though they were so 
many beasts for slaughter. And many of the youth and 
noblemen of Jerusalem did they also scourge and torture 
until death was to them a happy release. And no man 
durst mourn for his brother or his father, nor dared those 
related to the dead even bury their friends. Thus twelve 
thousand of the chief men of Jerusalem perished miserably 
by the brutal hands of the Idumaeans and Zealots. 

How was the villa on Zion’s Hill turned into a house qf 
mourning. It being no longer safe to remain on the roof- 
terrace, on account of the many darts and arrows and 
stones of the rebels flying through the city, Miriam sat 
with Jessica in the darkened hall beneath, and wept for 
her father, so ruthlessly destroyed, while old Eachel, with 
streaming eyes, ministered to her young charges, now 
doubly bereft, and Aziel guarded the house night and 
day, for fear of their enemies, not forgetting the lamented 
Berachiah, but feeling that he most truly honored the dead 
by caring for the living. 


V 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


281 


Miriam sat and wept in heart-broken sorrow; but Jessica 
walked the floor like a caged lioness, uttering indignant 
exclamations against the brutal slayers of her father. 
Miriam would suffer grief in silence, daring not to attempt 
redress; but Jessica laughed at obstacles, scorned opposi- 
tion, when she knew herself to be in the right, and was 
not even overwhelmed by irrevocable events. If bear 
them she must, it would be with head lifted high in dis- 
dain of their power to curb her dauntless spirit ; and only 
afflictions permitted by an over-ruling Jehovah would be 
submissively borne by her. Had she been a general, defeat 
would have been her opportunity; being a woman, her 
will would be mastered only when life should end. Such 
natures make heroes and heroines of the loftiest types 
when their proud spirits are enlisted in the cause of right; 
such natures make also tyrants, if their strong wills are 
swayed by self, or governed by ignortince or wrong. 

Miriam was a woman to be always loved; Jessica was a 
woman either to be adored with irresistible infatuation, or 
to be hated with intensity. She would be the most loyal 
of friends, and the bitterest of enemies. But she would 
never be hated for petty selfish deeds nor unkind words ; 
her enemies would be the foes of truth and right and 
justice. She would be hated by the vile and weak for her 
courageous and unswerving allegiance to the cause of truth 
and honor; and while her enemies might hate her with 
deadly hatred, they could not but admire her unconquer- 
able spirit and her queenly nature. 

She was now but a maiden of sixteen ; but in those 
eastern climes the young develop quickly, and in her 
girlish breast there was beating a woman’s heart, bold to 
do or dare, quick to think and act, keen to perceive 
sincerity or falsehood, gifted with rare tact and subtle 


282 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


intuitions, and guarded by a supreme faith in God, and a 
firm allegiance to the God-Man. 

Now as she paced the apartment with a light and agile 
step, her loving heart was busy with a daring plan. 

Among the Jews, the reverent burial of the dead is 
held most binding, and Jessica had learned with horrified 
indignation that the corpse of her honored father had been 
refused burial by the brutal murderers of Ananus, and 
that it now lay among the heaps of slain like the despised 
carcass of a beast. Jessica thought quickly and deeply, 
and rapidly resolved upon action. 

Giving Miriam a loving caress, she retired from the 
room, as K-achel and her sister thought, to gain the seclu- 
sion of her own apartment. But we may follow this 
dauntless girl, and learn the secret of her plan. 

Hastily gathering from the household stores many folds 
of white linen, and also boxes of precious spices, — the 
sweet frankincense and fragrant myrrh, — she noiselessly 
left the house, having enveloped her form and face with 
a dark mantle, and shod her feet with coarse and heavy 
sandals. Thus disguised, she passed in the early morning 
unchallenged through the Gate of the Fountain, and pro- 
ceeded to the tomb of her mother, which lay beyond the 
walls of the Upper City, on the slope of Zion^s Hill. 

She had revealed her secret to no one, — not even to 
Aziel ; for she desired that he should guard her sister 
rather than accompany her in her hazardous undertaking. 
Though her face was very pale, her eyes shone like stars, 
and her step was cautious, yet fearless. 

Though she met many wayfarers, they noted her not, 
supposing she was some poor woman seeking herbs for 
food, for the famine had already threatened the city; for 
the Zealots, in their many conflicts, had heedlessly burned 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


283 


huge stores of corn, and had wasted large quantities of 
provisions with an unexampled want of prudence. 

As the sun gilded the golden turrets of the blood-stained 
Temple, Jessica arrived at her mother’s sepulchre, where 
she intended leaving the fine linen and spices, while she 
went on her further mission. 

As she approached the entrance, she was startled, but 
not dismayed, to perceive that the vault had been dese- 
crated by the Sicarii, as one of their robber caves; and 
there, within the sacred chamber, one of the formidable 
Sicarii sat upon a stone cleansing his sword, which the 
night before had been steeped in the blood of many of the 
chief men of Jerusalem. 

Most maidens would have fled in horror from such a 
ghastly sight; but Jessica, having once determined on her 
course of action, would brave all dangers, even death 
itself, in the fulfilling of her self-imposed and filial 
mission. 

Just then the robber, glancing up from his revolting 
work, beheld the maiden , and thinking to have some sport 
with this helpless prey thus unexpectedly placed within 
his power, he said, — 

Who art thou, prithee, who thus darest to beard a bold 
robber in his den?” 

^^This is my mother’s tomb,” replied Jessica, “which 
thou thus desecratest. I am Jessica, the daughter of the 
High Priest Ananus , whom the Idumaeans so foully slew ; 
and I seek the body of my father, to give it reverent 
burial.” 

“Dost thou not fear to risk thy tender feet in such 
bloody paths?” asked the robber, amazed at the fearless 
dignity of the maiden. 

“ I would ask thee if thou hast a mother or a sister, or 


284 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


if, per adventure, thou hast gazed upon thy mother^s bier, 
or looked into the eyes of wife or child? And if so, I 
beseech thee, by those holy memories, that thou tell me 
where my father’s body lies dishonored in the dust.’’ 

‘‘Art thou not afraid of my sharp sword?” rejoined the 
man, moved, in spite of his brutal nature, by such a 
reference to the pure memories of his former life, and yet 
loath to be thus conquered by a helpless maiden. 

“I care not for thy sword!” said Jessica, calmly, with 
white face but flashing eyes. “If thou dost kill me, then 
I shall die in the performance of my sacred and filial 
duty. Death hath no terrors to those doing their appointed 
mission, who believe in the New Jerusalem beyond.” 

The hardened robber, touched by the very helplessness 
of the girl, and, in spite of his lawless and brutal life, 
filled with a sort of half-ashamed admiration for such 
purity of soul, and awed by the recollections of a better 
life which swept over his mind as the maiden stood there, 
the personification of his early dreams of an angel, roughly 
responded, for he would hide his emotions by harsh 
tones, — 

“Well, if I kill thee not, thou mayest thank thy childish 
face, and be glad that I once had a sister who somewhat 
resembled thee! Else would thy pretty form be a soft 
cushion for this bloody sword of mine.” 

“Thou wilt not kill me, and I trust thee! ” said Jessica, 
perceiving, with her keen intuitions, the softening of his 
brutal nature, and knowing that even the most wicked are 
better led by trust than suspicion. 

Then did the robber quickly draw his turban down to 
his shaggy brows, that by the action he might conceal the 
una'ccustomed mist which gathered in his piercing eyes; 
for even a devil might feel the force of the guileless and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


285 


childlike eyes of one trusting to some good impulse not 
yet wholly and hopelessly destroyed. The robber rose, 
and as gently as his gruff voice could adjust itself to un- 
familiar civil word , he said, — 

“If thou dost not fear so rude and uncouth a companion 
as myself, I will help thee find the body of thy father, 
and aid thee to give it decent burial. By my dead mother’s 
face, I swear to harm thee not ! ” 

“Jehovah will protect all those who are in the path of 
duty,” replied Jessica; ^^and I thank thee for thy offer, 
and will most gladly accept thine aid. If thy mother was 
a believer in the Almighty Jehovah, and in His Divine 
Son, and therefore is now within the New Jerusalem, may 
her spirit abide with thee until thou dost repent of thy 
past deeds of blood, and turn to the Christ, even as did 
the thief upon the cross.” 

^‘Thou art a Christian, then?”* 

^‘I am indeed a believer in the God-Man, the Messiah of 
the world.” 

The robber had by this time accompanied Jessica back 
into the city through the Gate of the Gardens, which was 
only a few paces from the Hill of Calvary. 

Passing into the Tyropoeon Valley, they reached the 
Xystus, now filled with multitudes of the people, both 
men and women, so that Jessica and the robber were not 
liable to be noticed. 

As they neared the council-hall, Jessica perceived a 
disguised figure at her right hand, whom she instantly 
recognized as Aziel, and he the same moment discovered 
her identity, and would have called her name in consterna- 
tion; but Jessica quickly prevented him, saying, — 

Hold thy peace and follow me ! 

‘^Wherefore art thou here?” whispered Aziel. 


286 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘To seek the body of my father, to give it burial.” 

“ It was for that also I came thither, and to inter also 
the remains of my father,” Aziel softly replied. 

“I perceive thou art disguised,” said Jessica; “it is 
well. Speak not ! Eemember thou art my servant to all 
questioners. My robber will protect me.” 

Aziel glanced at the formidable member of the fierce 
Sicarii with dire distrust; but prudence forbade speech, 
and he could but watch Jessica in anxious amazement. 

At this moment another robber came their way, and the 
escort of Jessica accosted him with the question, — 

“Where is the body of the High Priest Ananus?” 

“What wouldst thou with the carcass of that traitor?” 
inquired the other. 

“What is that to thee, if I wish to identify the body of 
our past enemy? For I was not present when the deed 
was done.” 

“If thou wouldst know for truth whether our foe be 
slain, behold! He lies there midst yonder heap of dead 
without the city walls, hard by the Fish Gate.” 

The robber and Jessica thereupon retraced their steps, 
followed by Aziel, through the crowded Xystus, and pass- 
ing through the Fish Gate, near by the market-place, they 
beheld a sickening sight. Hundreds of corpses lay in the 
sun; for twelve thousand of the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
had been slain upon the fatal night when Ananus and 
Berachiah met their doom. 

Hopeless seemed the task of finding the body of either 
amidst these piles of the decaying dead, and a fainter heart 
than that of Jessica would have relinquished the project 
in despair. The tender maiden, who had hitherto shrunk 
from the sight of a wounded bird or suffering pet, now 
nerved her woman’s heart to heroism, and stood by un- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


287 


flinching, though her cheeks were blanched, and her eyes 
were filled with tears, which she dashed constantly away, 
that her sight might be keen to recognize the venerated 
form of her beloved father, as the robber and Aziel turned 
up the ghastly faces, one after another, seeking for the 
bodies of Ananus and Berachiah. 

Even the savage robber, accustomed to scenes of horror 
and bloodshed, hesitated to proceed with the sickening 
labor, under the sorrowful eyes of that undaunted girl; 
and in tones as nearly gentle as his rough voice could 
assume, he said, — 

“Wilt thou not stand a little aside from this vile place, 
and leave.it to me to find thy father’s body?” 

“ Nay, verily ! ” she gasped, with quivering sobs ; then 
mustering her bravery with a superhuman effort of will, 
she continued: “My eyes will perchance recognize some 
mark of identity a stranger’s might fail to see, if the 
remains be much disfigured; and my servant, here, will 
lend his aid; he also knew my father well, and is com- 
missioned also to bury the body of my father’s friend, 
who perished with him, even the citizen Berachiah.” 
Thus did her woman’s wit screen Aziel from discovery; 
for even the good faith of the robber might be doubted, 
if he thought that such a prominent citizen as Aziel were 
near. 

Under pretence of seeking her orders, Aziel approached 
the heroic girl, and whispered, — 

“Jehovah bless thee, noble Jessica! While there are 
such Jewish maidens left to Judah, even though Jerusalem 
fall, our nation shall not utterly perish ! ” 

With one piercing glance from her true eyes, Jessica 
commanded aloud , as though an order to a slave , — 

“ Quick I to thy work, man ! The day advances, and my 
father must be buried ere the city gates be closed.” 


288 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


For three long hours the brave girl stood there with eyes 
bent on that revolting sights nor flinched, nor fainted, at 
the horror of it. 

At length the body of the High Priest was found beneath 
the pile of dead, and near by lay Berachiah. The face 
of Ananus was not disfigured, and a calm smile rested 
upon the noble features. Though the cheek of Berachiah 
had received a cruel sword-thrust, Aziel quickly recognized 
his revered father. 

The robber, calling some of his associates to assist in the 
removal of the bodies, satisfying them by telling them he 
wished to secure some valuable papers from the clothing 
of the bodies, which could be more easily accomplished by 
their removal to his cave, they consented without further 
information to obey their leader, and thus the bodies were 
carried without opposition to the burial vault of the family 
of Ananus, which this robber had chosen for his head- 
quarters; and this fact rendered their present purpose to 
be unsuspected by the Sicarii whom the robber had called 
to his aid. 

As soon as the bodies were deposited in the cave, the 
robber, on some pretence, called away his comrades, leav- 
ing Aziel and Jessica alone with their dead. 

By the tender hands of Aziel, the bruised bodies of 
their loved parents were decently arrayed in the clean 
linen grave-clothes brought by the thoughtful Jessica, and 
wrapped with the sweet spices. When this sad office was 
completed, Aziel allowed the courageous girl to enter the 
vault and view, for the last time, the serene countenance 
of her father, ere the robber returned. 

As it was nearly the hour of closing the city gates, 
Jessica had no time to linger on that sacred spot, where 
all that was mortal of her parents, and where the body of 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


289 


Berachiah, her father’s friend, lay in the sleep of 
death. 

The return of the robber warned Aziel and Jessica that 
their departure from this grave must now take place; and 
with his better nature somewhat awakened by the brave 
heroism of the maiden, the robber saluted her deferentially, 
and said , — 

“ Fear not, maiden, for thy sacred dead ! By my mother’s 
grave, I swear to protect this cave from all intrusion! If 
thy servant will help me roll the great stone to the 
entrance, which my ruthless bands had removed from its 
place, I will see to it that no hand of man shall again 
disturb this sacred spot while my life is spared from fatal 
dart or sword-thrust. Go in peace, and know that one 
of the wicked Sicarii can still hold sacred a ’solemn 
promise! ” 

“May the forgiving Jehovah pardou thy past offences, 
to whom we must all look for mercy! ” replied Jessica, in 
thrilling tones; “and may the Christ reveal Himself to 
thee as the Saviour of all sinners ! In the Holy Name of 
my God, I thank thee for thy kindness in this hour of 
extremity. Farewell ! ” 

As Jessica and Aziel passed within the Gate of the 
Gardens, the robber wiped the tears from his eyes with his 
rough hands, and taking his short dagger from his girdle, 
which had been used in so many bloody deeds, he said, — 

“Henceforth no innocent blood shall be shed by my 
right hand! By my mother’s grave I swear it! So help 
me. Thou Jehovah of the Jewish maiden! ” 

By this time the Idumeeans had repented of their coming 
to Jerusalem, being at length sick of bloodshed, and 
ashamed of the wicked deeds of which, together with the 


19 


290 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Zealots, they had been guilty. For the Zealots revealed 
to them that in truth they had no grounds for believing 
in the treachery of Ananus and the chief citizens. This 
confession was made by the Zealots, not in compunction of 
conscience for their crimes, but on account of their desire 
to be rid of the Idumseans, whom they feared would prove 
too strong for them. The Idumaeans thereupon retired from 
Jerusalem, having first set at liberty about two thousand 
of the populace, whom they had unlawfully imprisoned. 

By this time, John of Gischala was beginning to tyran- 
nize over the remainder of the rebels. Therefore Eleazar 
revolted from John, drawing many of the Zealots with 
him, and these seized the inner court of the Temple, 
which part of the Sanctuary was well furnished with 
stores; neither did Eleazar and his bands hesitate to 
appropriate any sacred thing. Now because they were 
fewer in number than the followers of John, they went 
not forth from the enclosures of the Inner Temple, but did 
constantly beset the men of John with darts and arrows, 
who, though they were more numerous, were in an inferior 
position, having their enemies above them, whom they 
could not attack, only as the bands of Eleazar should show 
themselves beyond their defences. Between these two 
parties there were daily conflicts, so that the Temple ran 
constantly red with fresh blood. 

Moreover, there was still a third party in the city; for 
there was one Simon, the son of Gioras, who had laid 
waste the country of Idumaea, and came even to the gates 
of Jerusalem, with whom the Zealots had many combats, 
but could not overcome him. “So it came to pass that 
those who ran away from John were captured by Simon, 
who was the more bloody of the two; and he who had 
escaped the tyrant within the walls was destroyed by the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


291 


other that lay before the gates; so that all attempts of 
flying and deserting to the Eomans were cut off as to those 
who had a mind so to do.” 

So the chief men of Jerusalem who were still left alive 
from former assaults of the Zealots within the city, took 
counsel how they might overthrow John, and thereupon 
determined to admit Simon, who entered the city with 
lordly bearing, as the protector of the people against the 
Zealots. But he took good care to secure his own authority, 
and soon looked upon those who had invited him within 
the city walls as his enemies, no less than those whom he 
had been called upon to attack. Thus did Simon get pos- 
session of Jerusalem, in the third year of the war. 

Simon held possession of the Upper City, on Zion’s 
Hill, and also a great part of the Lower City, and his 
situation was beneath that of John, as John’s was lower 
than that of Eleazar. As for John, he drove back those 
who assailed him from below, and defended himself from 
those who attacked him from above, by means of his 
engines of war and artillery; for this John of Gischala 
had taken of the consecrated timber which the priests of 
the Temple had collected in times of peace, intending to 
raise the Temple walls by twenty cubits. These beams 
of wood had been brought down from Mount Lebanon by 
King Agrippa at great cost, and were of marvellous size 
and perfection. These had John seized, and built of them 
towers on the west side of the Temple, hoping by these 
towers that he would prevail against his enemies. 

Then were the inhabitants of the city in des^Dair, as 
they found themselves helpless victims of all these three 
parties; wherefore the old men and the women began to 
pray for the coming of the Eomans ; for so great were their 
trials with these civil strifes, that a foreign foe seemed 


292 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


rather a hope of deliverance than a thing to be deplored. 
For all about the Temple had been burned by hre, and the 
wheat stored in the city granaries had been ruthlessly 
destroyed, and famine stared them in the face, and destruc- 
tion seemed certain from within, whatever might be their 
fate from foes without. Such was the condition of Jeru- 
salem when Titus approached the city. 

It was now the spring of the year a. d. 70, and being 
the time of the yearly Passover, crowds of pilgrims flocked 
to Jerusalem, notwithstanding its menaced condition. 
Thousands of Jews, having been driven out by the 
Eomans from the districts of Galilee, Samaria, and Persea, 
had sought the Holy City for shelter from their foreign 
foes, and thereby the population of Jerusalem at this time 
was computed by some at six hundred thousand souls, by 
others at from two to three millions. 

Titus, advancing from the north, planted his camp on 
the ridge called Scopus, from which point the city was 
in full view. He had six legions of soldiers, the Fifth, 
Tenth, and Fifteenth, which were previously in the coun- 
try, subduing various parts of Palestine, while there were 
added the Twelfth from Syria, and the Third and Twenty- 
second from Alexandria. Titus had also twenty cohorts 
of auxiliaries, with eight squadrons of cavalry. He was 
joined by bands sent by Agrippa, Sohemus, and Antiochus, 
king of Commagene, together with numbers of Arabs. 
The forces under Titus were computed at eighty thousand. 
Such was the army of Titus, and he had for chief coun- 
sellor Tiberius Alexander, who had been Governor of 
Egypt, and was a man of years, and skilled in the tactics 
of war. 

The force of the Jews in Jerusalem was comprised of 
twenty-four thousand trained and well-armed soldiers, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


293 


together with multitudes of irregular combatants, who 
rushed forth from the various sections of the city to man 
the walls, or sally from the gates. 

The Tenth Legion was detached to take up its position 
on the Mount of Olives, to prevent the escape of the Jews, 
and intercept any succor sent to the besieged. 

Aware of the strength and resolution of his opponents , 
Titus prepared to conduct the siege with patience and 
prudence, according to the rules of the art of war. As 
the city was defended in some parts by triple lines of 
ramparts, the Eomans proceeded cautiously and labori- 
ously to erect banks, and fill in ditches, making ready to 
employ their huge battering-rams, and other engines of 
war, against the formidable battlements which rendered 
Jerusalem almost impregnable. 

Then said the Zealots, one to another, as they beheld 
this threatening array of armed men encompassing their 
city walls , — 

“Verily, we do not well to suffer the enemy to build 
these great works for our destruction, while we war with 
each other, and use not our arms against the Homans.’’ 

Thereupon, joining their bands together, the Jews rushed 
forth from the city gates with mighty force against the 
Tenth Legion, if, peradventure , they might prevent the 
completion of the entrenchments upon the Mount of 
Olives. 

At the sound of the trumpet of warning, the Komans 
flew to arms , for they had laid aside their weapons, deem- 
ing the rebels in the city too busy with their strife with 
each ether to undertake such a sortie. For a time the 
Jews had the advantage, for the Eomans, being accus- 
tomed to fight in set array, were thrown into confusion by 
this impetuous charge. 


294 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


against these dogs of Jews! ” cried the commander 
of the Tenth Legion, rallying his forces. ‘"Do I see 
Eomans fly from such hordes of unskilled combatants?’^ 

Thereupon the Eomans were brought quickly to their 
usual order, and did repulse the Jews so hotly, that they 
fled back into the valley, having suffered much damage. 

After this, Titus bade his men fall back and complete 
their camp. Which, when the Jews observed, they sup- 
posed that the Eomans fled in fright, and they again made 
an onslaught with such fury that the ranks of the legion 
were broken, and fleeing they left Titus almost alone in the 
midst of the foe; which danger of the general being per- 
ceived by certain Eoman soldiers, they stayed their flight, 
and came to the rescue of their commander, and so retrieved 
their desertion by such a vigorous attack that the Jews 
were forced to give place. 

Now it came to pass that one night Titus would go 
forth, attended by Placidus and six hundred horsemen, to 
spy out the strength of the city, hoping that it might prove 
weak enough to capture without a siege. 

What thinkest thou of the appearance of the enemy?” 
asked Titus of Placidus, as they came near to the city and 
saw no man, the gates being shut. 

From our experience before Jotapata,” replied Placidus, 
“1 should be wary of these Jews, who, though they are 
lightly armed, and seem unskilled in the proper tactics 
of war, are nevertheless most wily in stratagems, and are 
withal so reckless of life, that they prove most formidable 
foes.” 

Even as he spake, the Eomans had approached the 
towers called the “Women’s Towers,” and a number of 
Jews sprang upon them through the gate which was over 
against the monuments of Queen Helena, and broke the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


295 


ranks of the Eomans, separating the horses of Titus and 
Placidus from the rest of the cohort, who had fallen some- 
what behind. 

Now neither Titus nor Placidus were fully armed, hav- 
ing neither helmet nor breastplate, for they had gone 
forth not expecting to fight; but Titus, perceiving that 
his preservation depended upon his own courage, turned 
his horse about, and cried, — 

“ Komans, follow me ! ” and thereupon he rode into the 
midst of his enemies, followed closely by Placidus; and 
though Jewish darts fell about them in a shower, yet were 
they not harmed ; and so valiantly did Titus and Placidus 
wield their swords, that they cut down all who pressed 
them near at hand; and this boldness of Titus and Placidus 
so astonished the Jews that they fled before them, and the 
remainder of the Koman horsemen coming to their aid, 
the Jews retired behind the walls, having slain with their 
darts and arrows many horses and horsemen. 


296 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

HEART-RENDING SCENES IN THE HOLY CITY. — THE SICARII 
ATTACK THE WORSHIPPERS IN THE TEMPLE. 

The Romans now being occupied with the erection of their 
embankments, preparatory to an assault of Jerusalem, the 
people within the city made ready to celebrate the Eeast 
of the Passover, Eleazar and his party having opened to 
the populace the gates of the Inner Temple, previously ^ 
held by them, and allowed such citizens as were desirous 
of worshipping Jehovah in the observance of the ancient 
religious ceremony of the Eeast of Unleavened Bread, to 
enter within the precincts of the Holy House. 

But John of Gischala, being crafty and unscrupulous, 
made use of this festival to work out a most treacherous 
design. 

Now it came to pass that Aziel had accompanied Miriam, 
Jessica, and Rachel to the Temple upon the chief day of 
the Eeast; for though they were Christians, yet did they 
still observe such ceremonies of their ancient customs as 
in no wise conflicted with their faith. 

This little party of worshippers had wended their way 
with reverent hearts to the Holy Sanctuary, mindful, not 
only of their obligations to worship Jehovah with repentant 
spirits, but moved, moreover, by their sad memories of the 
past connected with their revered parents, Ananus and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


297 


Beradiiatu Therefore did they esteem it a special privilege 
to be once more permitted to enter the sacred Courts of the 
Temple. 

Picture for a moment the impressive scene: Jerusalem 
surrounded by the ‘^Abomination of Desolation,” foretold 
by the Christ; the Holy Mount of Olives encompassed 
with Koman ensigns adorned with the images of heathen 
gods; the proud Eoman eagles looking down upon the 
Holy City from the camp of Titus on the north; the 
gardens of the suburbs despoiled of their luxuriant groves, 
and the lilies of the field lying crushed and dying beneath 
the brutal feet of the fierce Sicarii, who had desecrated the 
tombs of the dead, held sacred by even savage hordes; 
the ancient groves of Olivet, — trees which, peradventure, 
had shaded Solomon, and which had surely bent above 
the Holy God-Man, now being felled by heathen axes, to 
form engines of war to destroy the glorious City of David, 
Jerusalem the Beautiful! 

Within the city are more heart-rending scenes. Moriah’s 
brow, heretofore crowned by the gleaming Temple, which 
appeared as a mountain of snow or a battlement of gold, 
as the sun shone upon white marble walls, or gates and 
roofs of dazzling gold ; the immortal Temple, King of all 
fanes! most resplendent of all the works of man which 
adorned the earth! wonder of Jew and barbarian, Greek 
and Eoman! — this Holy Temple, now blood-stained and 
desecrated, and used as a fortress of war, rather than the 
Holy House of Prayer of the God of peace. 

And yet more. Zion’s Hill profaned by engines of 
destruction, red with blood, and polluted by ghastly heaps 
of slaughtered men, women, and children, deprived even 
of decent burial ; every house of the city a place of mourn- 
ing, every man, woman, and child bereaved of some loved 


298 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


one, not by the providence of God, but by the ruthless 
hand of inanj palaces in ruins, or dismantled and pillaged 
by robber bands; the streets of the city thronged with 
wailing mourners, or coarse and cursing hordes of rebels, 
reckless of all woes, caring only to satisfy their thirst for 
blood or their avarice for unlawful booty; starving moth- 
ers, carrying in their feeble arms wailing infants, to whom 
they could give no nourishment, and crying children 
clinging to their skirts, whose hunger they could not 
appease even with a crust of bread; and if by chance they 
had procured a morsel of food to satisfy their starving 
little ones, brutal Zealots would snatch from them the 
kernels of corn, or the unpalatable herb, which they had 
obtained by weary efforts, and laugh in their blanched 
faces with horrid oaths to mock their misery. This did 
those cruel Zealots, not that they themselves were actually 
starving, but to add to their hoards of food against a future 
want. 

All these scenes had Aziel, Miriam, Jessica, and Kachel 
been forced to witness as they passed through Jerusalem 
on their way to the Temple. 

But greater horrors awaited them all. When the peo- 
ple had gathered in the Temple, the outer court was filled 
with a vast multitude, and the first division of Israelites 
entered into the Court of the Priests, for all the Jews 
were divided at this Feast into three divisions, each one 
of which in turn was admitted into the Great Court of 
the Temple, with their Paschal lambs, and this was the 
order of the ceremony. 

‘‘The first of the three festive divisions was admitted 
within the Court of the Priests. Each division must 
consist of not less than thirty persons, that being the 
symbolical number of the Divine, and of completeness. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


299 


Immediately the massive gates were closed behind them. 
The priests drew a three-fold blast from their silver trum- 
pets; when the Passover was slain. Altogether, the scene 
was most impressive. All along the Court, up to the 
Altar of Burnt Offering, priests stood in two rows, the one 
holding golden, the other silver, bowls. In these the 
blood of the Paschal lambs, which each Israelite slew for 
himself (as representative of his company at the Paschal 
Supper), was caught up by a priest, who handed it to his 
colleague, receiving back an empty bowl ; and so the bowls 
with the blood were passed up to the priest at the altar, 
who poured it in one jet at the base of the altar. While 
this was going on, a most solemn hymn of praise was 
raised, the Levites leading in song, and the offerers either 
repeating after them, or merely responding. Every first 
line of a Psalm was repeated by the people, while to each 
of the others they responded by a ‘ Hallelujah, ^ or ^ Praise 
ye the Lord.' This service of song consisted of the so- 
called ‘ Hallel, ' thus : — 

The Levites began : ‘ Hallelu Jah (Praise ye the 
Lord) ! ' 

The people repeated : ‘ Hallelu Jah ! ^ 

The Levites : ‘ Praise {Hallelu)^ 0 ye servants of 
Jehovah.^ 

“The people responded: ‘ Hallelu Jah,' 

The Levites : ‘ Praise (Hallelu) the name of J ehovah. ' 

^‘The people responded: ‘ Hallelu Jah,' 

'^Levites: ‘ When Israel went out of Egypt.’ 

^‘People: ‘ When Israel went out of Egypt.’ 

“ Levites : ‘ The house of J'acob from a people of strange 
language.’ 

‘‘The people: ‘ Hallelu Jah,' 


800 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


Save now, I beseech Thee, Jehovah! ’ 

Oh, Jehovah, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity.’ 

‘‘‘ Blessed be He that cometh in the name of Jehovah.’ ” 

Then in the midst of this solemn Hallelujah song arose 
a dreadful tumult. In the Outer Court, where the gathered 
multitudes awaited their turn to participate in the sacred 
services in the Inner Court (even while the silver trumpets 
of the priests were sounding), arose a terrible cry and 
uproar, and gleaming daggers flashed forth in the hands of 
bloody Sicarii, who had been bribed by John of Gischala 
to disguise themselves with cloaks over their armor, and 
thus to enter with the worshipping people, that they might 
overpower the Zealots and the citizens, and thereby gain 
for him the coveted position held heretofore by Eleazar 
and his bands. 

Then the Zealots leaped down from the battlements, 
where they had been guarding the gates of the Temple, 
and did flee into the subterranean caverns beneath the 
courts ; and the people, helpless and unarmed, were at the 
mercy of this brutal mob of flerce robbers. 

Miriam, Jessica, and Kachel found themselves sur- 
rounded by several ruffians, who, raising their bloody 
swords, threatened instant death if any opposition was 
shown by them. 

“Touch me not!” cried brave Jessica, freeing herself 
from the grasp of a huge robber who had caught her arm ; 
“wouldst thou kill an unarmed woman?” 

^‘ISTot so fast, my pretty creature! I know a Eoman 
captain who would pay me well for thy child’s face for his 
slave,” sneered the fiendish scoundrel, roughly seizing her 
wrist. ^‘I have clasped some pretty iron bracelets on as 
tender arms as thine, and would grudge not to do it again. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


801 


if thou wilt not go peaceably with me; I would thrust 
my dagger through thy soft flesh as carelessly as I would 
bring down a bird with a sharp-pointed arrow , but that I 
prefer to get gold by selling thee, rather than amusement 
by killing thee.’^ 

Meanwhile Miriam and Eachel were both in the power 
of certain other ruffians, and one, deeming the aged Eachel 
not worth capturing, had just lifted his sword towards her 
throat to give the fatal cut, when a voice shouted, — 

^^Hold there, man! I, thy captain, command it! ” 

And through the turbulent crowd of slaying men, and 
dying women and children, necessarily even treading upon 
piles of bleeding corpses, — for the marble pavement was 
thick with them, — strode a towering form straight to the 
side of Jessica, and, snatching her hand from the robber’s 
grasp, with eyes flashing with anger, and tones like 
thunder, he exclaimed, — 

“These women are my charge! Shame, men! Are ye 
become such vile beasts as to slay women and helpless 
babes? Be off! and if ye must kill, seek armed men, and 
your enemies beyond the walls! ” 

“ How long since thy dagger hath become so dainty in 
its taste?” growled the coarse brute who held Eachel. 
“If thou wert not the captain of our band, thy words 
would fall on deaf ears ! ” and the ruffian slunk away, 
while Jessica looked in surprise at their rescuer, and per- 
ceived that he was the robber she had encountered in her 
mother’s tomb. 

Softening his gruff voice as best he could, he said to 
her, — 

“Dost thou remember me? I have not forgotten my 
oath to thee, and will guard now thy safe return to thy 
home. Who are these women with thee?” 


302 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


“My sister and my nurse/’ responded Jessica; “and 
sure am I we shall be safe in thy guidance.” 

“Then come quickly! ” said the robber; “I may not be 
able long to protect thee from harm, but while I live, my 
right arm shall defend thee.” 

“Jehovah will reward thee!” answered Jessica, as she 
gazed into his face with trustful eyes, which so melted the 
heart of the stern man that he vowed to be worthy of such 
confidence, even to death, if it were needful; and taking 
Jessica and Miriam by the hand, he told Eachel to follow 
them closely, and over piles of the dead he led them, 
through such sickening and ghastly sights as to make 
them grow faint with horror; down to the caverns of the 
Temple by a secret passage he conducted them, and just 
as they breathed more freely, a scene burst on their vision 
which made their hearts stand still. 

Where a dim light fell into the cave, through a small 
aperture in the wall, they beheld Aziel struggling in the 
grasp of a brawny giant, whose gleaming dagger was lifted, 
and the sharp point even then touched the throat of the 
young man, who, coming to worship, not to fight, was 
unarmed, and at the mercy of his foe. 

Again those tones of thunder rang through the vault, — 

“Hold, man! By our secret oath I adjure thee, sheathe 
thy dagger ! ” 

“Who dares command me?” cried the man, in rage. 

“Thy captain, Joab!” responded the robber who had 
befriended Jessica. “Thou rememberest thine oath of alle- 
giance, and the penalty of disobedience!” he continued; 
and again the dagger was lowered, and the victim freed. 

“ Aziel ! ” cried Miriam, as the youth came towards 
them, not recognizing in the dim light the sisters, but 
wondering much who this deliverer might be. 


THE BOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 303 

At the sound of that familiar voice Aziel ran forward, 
exclaiming, — 

^‘Oh, Miriam and Jessica, are ye safe? I was just 
hastening through this passage as the quickest way to 
reach the Court where I left you when I went with my 
Paschal lamb into the Court of the Priests, and heard the 
tumult, and feared for your safety.’’ 

Owing to this former friend, whom thou rememberest 
we met in my mother’s tomb, our lives have been pro- 
tected, ’’said Jessica; for, fearing to alarm Miriam, Jessica 
and Aziel had been silent regarding the incidents con- 
nected with the burial of their parents; and Joab the 
robber, now recognizing Aziel, whose robes, even in that 
dim light, revealed his rank, said to Jessica, with a slight 
emphasis upon the words, — 

“Thou hast, verily, a handsome and high-born servant ! ” 

Aziel now took the arm of Miriam, while Joab gave one 
hand to old Kachel; and thus the party hurried through 
the subterranean caverns which honeycombed the hill of 
Moriah, beneath the Temple, and as the dusk was already 
sheltering them in their flight, they reached the house on 
Zion’s Hill in safety. 

“Wilt thou not accept our hospitality, poor though it be 
in these days of famine?” said Jessica, with a courteous 
civility, to Joab the robber. 

“Hay, maiden! The threshold of thy habitation must 
not be crossed by such bloody feet as those of Joab the 
robber; but know thou, henceforth my hands shall never 
be dyed in the blood of the innocent ! I have sworn it by 
thy Jehovah! ” 

And the robber, giving them no opportunity for fur- 
ther invitation nor thanks, disappeared in the deepening 
darkness. 


304 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


By this treacherous plot of John of Gischala, the party 
of Zealots came under his control, Eleazar having sub- 
mitted to the necessity of becoming one of the leaders of 
the rebels under John; and the Temple thus became the 
stronghold of John. There were henceforth but two 
parties in the city, — one headed by John of Gischala, and 
the other by Simon, son of Gioras. 

Then did Titus proceed to pitch his camp nearer the city 
than the hill of Scopus ; and in the accomplishment of this 
plan, the hedges and walls which the inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem had built about their suburban villas were levelled 
with the ground, the many luxuriant groves cut down and 
the fruit-trees ruthlessly destroyed, the gardens trampled 
and the hollow places filled. To accomplish this, the sur- 
rounding hills were demolished. In this way did the 
Homan army level the country between Scopus and the 
city walls. 

In truth, not a tree was left standing, even as far as 
Jericho, and also for long distances on all sides of Jeru- 
salem ; for the timber was used by Titus in building his 
engines of war, and the branches in forming his hurdles 
and raising his banks. With the wholesale destruction of 
a like nature which Vespasian had already accomplished 
in Galilee in subduing that district, and in the regions of 
Samaria, there was naught left in the countries of Judea, 
Samaria, and Galilee which the hand of man had not 
ruthlessly marred, save only the mountains, the skies, and 
the waters*, and two of these also had been grievously 
shorn of their charms, for the mountains had been robbed 
of their groves and gardens, and the waters of the Jordan 
and the Sea of Galilee had been polluted by the blood of 
the slain. Even the skies were not left by man as God 
made them, for the volumes of smoke from burning cities 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


305 


had defiled the clear sunlight, and the profane oaths of 
brutal men had befouled the pure air, hitherto resounding 
with the echoes of the hymns of praise from devout men 
and innocent birds, which went up as a sweet savor from 
the hills of Judea and Galilee, in honor of the Almighty 
Creator, Elohim- Jehovah. 


306 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

FAMINE AND BLOODSHED. THE SISTERS’ SACRIFICE. 

Jessica’s terrible adventure. 

In the house on Zion’s Hill, famine also reigned. The rich 
could buy no food, for there was no food to buy ; moreover, 
there were no longer any rich in the city, for the robbers 
and Zealots had stolen everywhere, and John of Gischala 
had not even respected any of the sacred vessels of the 
Temple, but had taken of the cups and golden bowls, and 
silver and golden pitchers, among which were the gifts 
offered by the Emperor Augustus and Livia, his wife. John 
had melted these for coining money. He took also of the 
holy oil and of the sacred wine, which was kept for the use 
of the priests only, and he gave them to his soldiers, who 
hesitated not to drink the wine, and anoint themselves 
in mockery with the consecrated oil. 

Meanwhile, the Zealots had slain the High Priest Mat- 
thias, who had been chosen in the place of Ananus. He 
was put to death, together with his sons, being falsely ac- 
cused of treason in a purpose to deliver the city up to the 
Romans. When the aged priest prayed them to slay him 
first, they refused, and murdered his sons before his 
anguished eyes, and then killed him. 

Then did a grievous punishment befall some of the 
inhabitants; and it would appear to have been a judgment 
for the former guilt of Jerusalem’s people. All food was 
exhausted in the city. Even the soldiers were so hard 
pressed by hunger that they ran like greedy dogs through 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


307 


the streets, devouring that which even the vilest of beasts 
would not eat; gnawing their girdles and sandals of 
leather, and wisps of dried grass. Even the leaves of the 
few trees left in the city were sold for their weight in 
silver. Many of the people parted with their entire pos- 
sessions for a peck of wheat or barley ; and multitudes 
stole out at night without the city gates to gather such 
herbs as they might find, or to dig up the roots of shrubs, 
or stray spears of grass; and even such were robbed of 
these poor morsels by the greedy Zealots, who watched 
their return. At length it came to the ears of Titus that 
crowds were thus stealing forth from the city, and he per- 
ceived !that the number of those who came out was daily 
increasing ; and deeming it dangerous to let such crowds 
go free, and not wishing to have the care of so many 
captives, he commanded that all such as were captured 
should be crucified. This was accordingly done, and so 
many were thus executed that the Kornans could not secure 
sufficient wood to make enough crosses for the many 
bodies. Peradventure, the Jews had brought this judg- 
ment upon themselves for the crucifixion of the Christ, 
their Messiah. 

Now the engines of the Romans were admirably con- 
trived, and did throw such huge stones withal, that the 
Jews could in no wise withstand them, and the walls of the 
city were constantly threatened with destruction, by reason 
of the stones and darts hurled against them by the Roman 
machines of war. 

At first these mammoth stones were white in color, and 
were plainly visible to the Jews even afar off, so that the 
watchmen on the city walls, when the Roman engines 
began to play their horrid game of ruin, observing from 
their watch-towers the coming of the missile, cried out 


308 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


with a loud voice, THE STONE COMETH ! whereupon 
the Jews threw themselves down upon the ground below 
the range of the machine, and thus many escaped death. 
Which when Titus learned,, he caused the stones to be 
made black, that so their advance might not be thus 
heralded to the advantage of the Jews. 

Moreover, the Jews being rash and careless of life, 
knowing that death was certain to them whether by famine 
in the city, or by the weapons of their enemies without, 
determined that the death best to choose betwixt these 
double evils was that of being slain in battle, rather than 
one of starvation, which now stared every inhabitant in 
the face. For the Zealots had, with inhuman cruelty and 
unheard of barbarity, snatched the morsels of food from 
the very mouths of the starving populace, and even put 
them to most indescribable tortures to extract from them 
confessions regarding some hidden ear of corn, or small 
measure of wheat, or scanty loaf, or bit of raw meat. 
They had also broken into houses, and plundered any 
remnant of food, gathered by the parents for their hungry 
children; until so great had become the famine, that 
mothers even snatched the petty crumbs from the lips of 
dying children, and children seized the few kernels of corn 
from famished parents ; and the Zealots killed the rich to 
grasp their gold, and slew the poor to gain their last 
supplies of food. The dead lay everywhere. Ghastly 
famine stalked through the city, and the red hand of 
murder threatened tlie life of all classes. Death was 
welcomed as the only friend left to the anguished and 
tortured populace. 

Miriam and Jessica and old Eachel were wan with 
hunger, and weakest of all seemed Miriam. Jessica then 
discovered the self-sacrifice of her loving sister, for she 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


309 


beheld her putting back her yet untasted allotment of food 
into the general store, that thereby her younger sister 
might have sustenance the longer. Then Jessica, with 
eyes dimmed with tears, sought her chamber, silently re- 
solved not to be outdone in generosity. 

Jessica had still one much prized pet left — a yellow 
canary, — the favorite of all her former cherished creatures. 
All else had one by one been sacrificed for food, until this 
golden songster only remained to cheer her sad and lonely 
hours. To feed this tiny pet Jessica had robbed herself 
of food, and now she held the pretty birdling on her 
wasted finger, and gazed upon its golden glory for the last 
time, while thus she murmured : — 

My dainty, golden darling, I must bid thee farewell ! 
Thy gentle life must be yielded up that generous Miriam 
may have food for one day more. Sweet pet, I sorrow to take 
thy lovely life ! And I shall miss thy morning carols and 
thy evening chirpings. I will shut my eyes while I seem 
so cruel. There ! — Oh ! It hurts me so to wring thy 
golden neck, and hush the song within thy swelling throat. 
Forgive me, darling ! I would not take thy life if I knew 
where to find a single morsel of food for starving Miriam ! 
’T is done ! Farewell, my pretty pet. Perchance I shall 
once again find thy song in some angehs throat in the 
New Jerusalem ! ’’ 

With eyes filled with tears, Jessica prepared the tiny 
bird in as dainty a manner as her poor kitchen stores would 
furnish, having merely a pinch of salt, and drop of oil, and 
one fragrant cassia bud, to add flavoring to the cup of soup 
made from the little bird. This she carried to her sister, 
and smiled as she placed it in her hands, saying, — 

Taste this, dear Miriam ! I fear thou art faint ! ’’ for 
Jessica was too considerate to distress Miriam by showing 
that she had discovered her unselfish deed. 


310 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Where didst thou obtain this delicate soup, my 
Jessica 

Oh, a stray birdling flew into my window, answered 
J essica smiling, and Miriam knew, when she an hour later 
missed the golden canary from Jessica^s room. And thus 
both sisters sacrificed for each other. 

That night Jessica stole forth upon an errand alone. 
She remembered that in a certain place, near the Pool 
of Siloam, the white stars of Bethlehem were wont to 
grow thickly ; and knowing that the bulbous roots of these 
flowers were palatable, and hoping that the secluded spot 
had not been discovered by others, she departed, not even 
taking Eachel, for fear Miriam would object to such a 
hazardous undertaking. The moon was shining, but the 
frequent clouds obscuring the silver disk were welcome 
to Jessica, as serving to hide her from any hostile eyes. 
She had found the clustering stars, gleaming amid that 
scene of desolation like pitying eyes of angels, and had 
gathered her girdle full of the bulbous roots, being obliged 
to sacrifice the white starry blossoms in so doing. 

Must I ever thus destroy the beautiful, to obtain the 
vital ? she sadly asked herself, thinking of her golden 
canary, and the sweet flowers lying now dying on the sand. 

Are my flowers of love and songs of gladness likewise 
forever to perish ? ’’ 

Bousing herself from her gloomy reveries, she started 
towards her home, clasping the precious roots closer to her 
bosom than she would have held costly diamonds or shining 
gold. 

Just then she espied a band of soldiers staggering towards 
a house near by. At first she thought them drunk, but 
afterwards discovered that they reeled faint from hunger. 
They broke open the door of the house with brutal oaths ; 
and just then the odor of cooking food was wafted to 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


311 


Jessica, and she drew near. But the sight she beheld 
petrified her with horror. 

“ Give us food ! cried the famished soldiers, to a woman 
standing by a stove eating a piece of meat ; and she pointed 
to the remains of a roasted babe upon the table, and with 
frenzied eyes and maniacal shriek, exclaimed, — 

^^Come, eat of this food, for I have eaten of it myself. 
This is my own son, and what hath been done was my own 
doing ! Why should ye be softer than a woman, or more 
merciful than a mother ? But if ye scruple to eat of my 
sacrifice, then as I have eaten the half, let the rest be left 
to me also.’^ 

Jessica turned faint at this awful sight, and would have 
fled immediately; but her head was dizzy, and her limbs 
trembled so violently with horror, that she was forced 
to linger until she somewhat regained her strength, and 
thus became an unwilling listener to those terrible words 
and an observer of the dreadful scene. 

Even the brutal ruffians were dumb with horror at such 
a revolting deed, and slunk from the house trembling and 
affrighted; and Jessica fled from the awful abomination as 
fast as her tremulous limbs could carry her. Having 
reached her home, and tottered into Miriam’s presence, 
she fell in a swoon at the feet of her terrified sister. 
When she came to herself, she told the shocking story, 
with blanched cheeks and horror-stricken eyes. Hot even 
the ghastly piles of the dead beyond the Fish Gate, before 
which she had stood unflinchingly, had so unnerved her. 
This was the most atrocious of all the abominations wit- 
nessed in that doomed city. 

^Werily, Jehovah must have departed from this miser- 
able and wicked city ! ” exclaimed old Bachel, as she 
listened to the dreadful story. 


312 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

TITUS CAPTURES THE OUTER WALL. — AZIEL ARMS IN 
DEFENCE OF THE TEMPLE. — JESSICA IN HER WATCH- 
TOWER. — A GORGEOUS SPECTACLE. 


On the fifteenth day of the siege, the Romans conquered 
the outer wall of the city, for Jerusalem was fortified with 
three walls, on all sides not encompassed with impassable 
valleys, for on those sides it was defended with only one 
wall. 

The Romans had built five towers, each fifty cubits high. 
On every embankment erected by them was a tower, and 
these were of such height that the Jews could in no 
manner assail them, whereas the Romans from them could 
harass their enemies, by means of the slingers and archers 
stationed in these towers. Xeither could the Jews destroy 
these towers with fire, for the Romans had covered them 
with plates of iron. 

Titus had now brought his engines close to the outer 
wall of the city, and one huge battering-ram, called by the 
Jews Nicoy meaning The Conqueror, had broken a breach 
through the wall, and through this opening the Romans 
had entered that part of the city which lay between this 
and the second wall. After this Titus moved his army 
within the outer wall, and there formed his camp. This 
was not accomplished without many conflicts with the 
Jews, the men under John of Gischala joining with those 
of Simon for the defence of the city, having at length 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


313 


decided to thus combine theif forces against their foreign 
foes. John defended the Tower of Antonia and the 
Temple, and Simon the remainder of the city. 

Neither did the Eomans find the Jews unworthy com- 
batants for their boasted legions to encounter. The Jews 
fought with such fury and contempt of life, and were 
so prodigal of stratagems and wily plots, as to keep the 
Eomans always in watchful suspense; and the Eomans were 
so disciplined and skilled in the art of warfare that the 
Jews could only hope to gain an advantage by bold sallies, 
where their impetuous onslaughts would give no play for 
Eoman weapons or cavalry charges, and their knowledge 
of the many secret outlets beneath the city walls enabled 
them to make unexpected sorties, or gave them an oppor- 
tunity for destroying the banks and engines of their 
enemies by fire. 

In truth, this first wall had not been taken without many 
a bloody hand-to-hand combat, and much discomfiture of 
the hitherto invincible Eoman forces. The Jews fought 
like wild beasts, caring not if they perished, if only they 
might tear their enemies to pieces ; while the Eomans were 
inspired with the thought that their eagles had always been 
victorious, and therefore defeat seemed impossible ; and as 
Titus exposed his life in the most dangerous situations, 
it ill became Eoman soldiers to hesitate to follow where 
a Caesar led. 

As long as there was strife between the seditious parties 
in Jerusalem, Aziel was unwilling to join either faction, 
being greatly horrified at this internal contention. But 
when both parties combined against their common foe, 
Aziel thought it his duty to lend his strong right arm in 
the defence of Jehovah’s Holy Temple. He therefore con- 
sented to be one of the commanders under John of Gischala, 


314 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


hoping thereby to use his authority against such a profana- 
tion of the Holy House as had heretofore shocked his 
devout heart. 

He would fain help to preserve this sacred fane from 
pagan desecration, and endeavor to inspire the Jews with 
the true patriotism of those who were willing to risk their 
lives in defence of their glorious Temple and the freedom 
of their ancient city, but deemed it beneath them, and 
moreover most wicked in the sight of Jehovah, whom they 
professed to reverence, to turn their swords against their 
brothers’ throats in civil conflicts. And by words of noble 
counsel did he inspire the soldiers under his authority, 
speaking thus, — 

‘^Let us use our swords only in such a cause of right and 
honor, as shall give us hope of receiving the help of the 
Great Jehovah, who lent His Almighty Arm in defence 
of our fathers against their enemies, but never in behalf 
of wicked oppression or selfish aggrandizement. Let us 
defend this Holy Temple with our lives, praying to Jeho- 
vah that he may forgive the awful profanation of His 
sacred Sanctuary. If this Temple fall, as perchance it 
must, as a punishment to this nation for rejecting the Holy 
One of God, then will we perish doing the only duty pos- 
sible to us in this our great extremity ; looking towards the 
Hew Jerusalem, where the ^Lord God Almighty and the 
Lamb are the Temple of it ! ’ ” 

Thus did Aziel infuse the ardor of his own brave spirit, 
and a righteous zeal, into the hearts of his soldiers. As he 
donned the red military mantle in place of his purple robe 
of state, he fought not for his own glory, but as a Soldier of 
the Cross. 

Thus were the Hebrews armed : Aziel carried a Tzimah, 
or shield, and from his side was suspended the Magen^ or 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


315 


buckler, to be used in liand-to-hand conflicts. To protect 
his body, he wore the Tachara, a quilted doublet, put on 
over the head. Over this was the Shiryon, or breast-plate. 
Upon his head was the Coha, or helmet, while the Mitzchah, 
or greaves, protected his limbs. In a sheath slung to his 
girdle, was a Chereh, or sword, resting upon the thigh, 
wherefore the phrase, girding on the sword.” Fastened 
upon his back, when not in battle, was the Clclron, or 
javelin, and in his right hand, the Shelach, or dart. 

The bow carried by Jewish archers was the Kesheth, 
which was bent by the foot, hence, to tread the bow.” 
The Chitzim, or arrows, were placed in a quiver termed 
Ashpah, Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of 
juniper, ” referred to the Jewish practice of using arrows 
with burning materials attached. The slingers in a Jewish 
army carried the Kela, or sling, provided with sling-stones. 

When Aziel made known to Jessica this step taken by 
him, and expressed his concern that this performance of 
what appeared to him his bounden duty would leave them 
more unprotected, and this had made him hesitate, until 
he could no longer satisfy his conscience while delaying, 
Jessica rejoined, — 

^^Thou hast done the only right thing, Aziel! Were I 
a man I would take a sword in defence of Jehovah’s 
Temple ; and though I am only a woman, fear not for us, 
for if needs be, T can gird on the sword, as did Deborah of 
old when she went up with Barak against Sisera, and did 
overcome the enemies of Israel. Perad venture, Jerusalem 
might yet be delivered by the hand of a woman; but 
methinks the displeasure of Jehovah is great against this 
nation, for the terrible wickedness thereof, and the rejec- 
tion of His Holy Son, and therefore shall no arm be found 
strong enough to deliver the Holy City from the Homans, 


816 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


seeing it appeareth to be the will of the Almighty that 
this city should be utterly destroyed.’’ 

Dost thou regret that thou didst not flee with the 
Christians; while yet there was opportunity?” inquired 
Aziel; gazing with astonishment upon the daring maiden. 

Nay, verily ! I would choose the same again/’ re- 
joined Jessica, with kindling eyes. My duty was here ; 
and where duty lies, there only is the path, though it lead 
to death ! ” 

^^But Miriam hath not thy stout heart, and I sorrow 
much to leave ye lone women ! ” sighed Aziel. 

I will defend Miriam ! ” cried Jessica, even though 
with my heart’s blood. Moreover, remember Jehovah 
rules ! ” 

When Miriam learned of the decision of Aziel, both she 
and Eachel applauded his action, and Miriam gazed at 
him with prouder eyes than ever before as she softly 
whispered, — 

^^May Jehovah shield thee! And should we never meet 
again on earth, may God unite us in the New Jerusalem I ” 

When Aziel departed from the house on Zion’s Hill to 
his post of duty in the Temple, Jessica went upon the roof, 
and stationed herself as watchman for the safety of the 
household, even at the risk of being wounded by the flying 
dart or hurling stone. When Miriam remonstrated against 
such an exposure, Jessica replied : — 

I am the soldier of this house ! Look thou and Eachel 
to the gathering of such scanty food as may be procured! 
I guard these battlements, and moreover shall not hesitate 
to use my bow and arrows against lurking foes. My 
practice in archery may now come into good use, and I am 
keen of eye and sure of hand.” 

So the daring maiden, girding a small dagger to her 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


317 


slender waist, took bow and quiver, and placed herself as 
sentinel on her watch-tower. And this was the scene 
visible to her. 

Titus had pitched his camp within the outer wall of the 
city, at one place called the Camp of the Assyrians^ for it 
was on that spot where Sennacherib and his Assyrian army 
had encamped 780 years before, when Jehovah provided that 
miraculous escape for the Jews from their Assyrian foes. 
This outer wall was the third wall, having been built by 
King Agrippa to enclose the suburbs on the northern sides 
of the city. 

Titus was thus in possession of a part of the city lying 
north of Mount Moriah and Mount Zion. 

John of Gischala defended that portion of the city pro- 
tected by the Tower of Antonia, and the cloisters of the 
Temple ; while Simon held Mount Zion, and concentrated 
his forces at the Tower of Hippicus. From her roof- 
terrace, Jessica could behold all these fortifications, and 
could watch many incidents connected with the siege. 

Then Titus prepared to take the second wall of the lower 
cit}^, which enclosed the hill called Acra, which hill was 
north of Zion. This second wall also surrounded Bezetha, 
upon which was the Kew City, this Bezetha being separated 
from Moriah by an artificial ditch, while the first, or old 
wall, built by David and Solomon, enclosed Zion, and part 
of Mount Moriah. 

As Titus stormed the second wall, the followers of both 
John and Simon combined to resist the attack. And in 
the taking of this wall many valiant deeds were performed 
both by the Eomans and the Jews. For there was one, 
Longinus, a Eonian knight of valor, ^o leaped alone into 
the very midst of the Jews, who were fighting hotly before 
the wall, having sallied out for the discomfiture of the 


318 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


Komans, and notwithstanding the host opposed to him, being 
withal expert in the aiming of their sharp-barbed darts, yet 
Longinus feared them not, but signalized himself by great 
valor, and did slay those who opposed him, and then re- 
treated to his own side. This sight Jessica beheld from 
her roof, and she cried aloud, — 

Bravely done, courageous Koman knight ! Would that 
the Jews possessed many of thy kind! 

iSTow as the Jews were inferior to the Komans in point 
of war machines and armor, and were moreover weakened 
by famine, whereas the Komans had plenty to eat and to 
spare, it was indeed surprising to behold their bold 
rashness and unwearied fighting; and they were withal 
most fertile in wily stratagems, which oft deceived their 
foes. 

There was one. Castor, a crafty J ew, who lay in ambush 
in a tower of the north wall, against which Titus brought 
his engines of war to bear with such effect that the tower 
was shaken, and threatened to fall. Then did Castor 
resort to a cunning scheme. There was with him in the 
tower but ten men, and Castor commanded five of them to 
make believe with him that they desired to surrender to 
the Romans ; the others, meanwhile, were to appear to re- 
sist, even to the point of threatening to kill themselves 
rather than be conquered. Also Castor did send word to 
Simon, that he would, by this stratagem, delude the Komans 
for a time, that by thus doing, Simon might have oppor- 
nity for consultation regarding what was best to do. 

Titus was beguiled by Castor, even as he intended, and 
commanded the Komans to cease for a time their assault, 
pitying their calamity, and being willing to listen to their 
proposals. 

Wilt thou surrender ? ’’ asked Titus, by the mouth of 
one sent as his envoy. 


THE BOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


319 


^^Such is our desire/’ replied the wily Castor; ^^but 
these our comrades, as thou see’st, will slay themselves 
rather than submit.” 

For five of the Jews, according to the plan, did leap upon 
the wall, and brandish their naked swords and point them 
to their throats in sign of refusal. 

At that moment a Eoman archer shot a dart at Castor, 
and pierced his nose. Whereupon, Castor pulled out the 
dart and showed it to Titus as a sign of treachery. Then 
was Titus angry at such an unfair deed, and reproved the 
archer, and asked Josephus, who stood beside him, to go 
and parley with the Jews, and to give to Castor his right 
hand in token of security. 

But Josephus, knowing well that this was but a Jewish 
ruse, refused to go ; and another offering to go to Castor, 
Titus despatched the man, who no sooner approached the 
tower than Castor displayed his enmity by casting a great 
stone at him. When Titus was thereby convinced of the ill- 
faith of the Jews, he commanded the assault to be renewed; 
and thereupon Castor and his companions set fire to the 
tower, and when it began to fall, leaped through the flames 
into a hidden vault beneath, and thus escaped, — the Eomans 
meanwhile giving them credit for remarkable bravery, 
thinking that they had cast themselves into the fire to 
perish. 

Then Jessica, as she watched, saw the taking of the 
second wall, and the advance of the Eomans into the 
doomed city. And from her outlook, she was witness to 
a bloody sight. For Titus, not wishing to destroy the city, 
but only to capture it, did with forbearance command that 
none of the inhabitants should be killed, nor their houses 
burned. This humanity was looked upon by the J ews as a 
sign of weakness ; so they threatened death to any one who 


320 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


should talk of surrender, and did moreover rally their 
forces, and attack with fury those Eomans who had entered 
through the second wall. These being heavily armed, and 
set upon in narrow streets and lanes, were for a time 
worsted ; and had it not been for the courage of Titus, the 
Eomans would have been cut to pieces. But Titus and 
Placidus, standing at the upper ends of the narrow lanes, 
ordered the archers to shoot their darts, which rally was 
successful in driving back the Jews ; but the Eomans were 
forced to retreat without the second wall. 

Jessica noted the noble Eoman knight, standing so 
bravely at the side of Titus, whom she recognized by the 
glory of his armor, and the authority evinced by his bear- 
ing; and she wondered if peradventure he might be 
Placidus, the friend of Aziel, who she had learned was with 
the army of Titus ; and she was somewhat comforted by 
the thought that Aziel had such a stanch friend among the 
Eomans, in case the city should be captured. But little 
availed it that any in Jerusalem had friends without the 
walls, for they were helpless to aid them. Even Josephus, 
with all the favor shown him by Titus, could not accom- 
plish the freedom of his mother and wife, who were shut 
up within the besieged city. Eor none within could now 
pass beyond the walls, and none without could gain an 
entrance. 

Just at this moment, as Jessica was watching the conflict 
around the second wall, she was startled to discover a man 
slyly ascending the outer stairway of the house, whom she 
instantly recognized as one of the terrible Sicarii, bent on 
plunder. 

But her woman’s wit did not desert her, nor was her hand 
made unsteady by the menacing danger ; but quickly rais- 
ing her bow. to her shoulder, she let fly an arrow with so 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


321 


sure an aim, that it struck the robber’s eye. Blinded by 
the spurting blood, he staggered down the stairway, curs- 
ing ; and thus was that little household spared from being 
robbed of the few morsels of food and petty store of gold 
still left to them. 

But womanlike, after the danger was over, Jessica turned, 
and retreated, faint and trembling, to the lower apartments, 
to gain courage by a sight of the loving faces of Miriam 
and Eachel, to whom she revealed naught of the visit of 
the robber ; but she described at great length the scenes she 
had witnessed from her watch-tower on the roof. 

Now, on the day following, Jessica beheld from her ter- 
race such an imposing sight that in hot haste she summoned 
Miriam and Eachel to her side. 

And in truth it was a gorgeous spectacle upon which 
they gazed j for it was the entire Eoman army in magnifi- 
cent battle-array, with armor shining, and spears gleam- 
ing, and the horses of the cavalry brilliant with gay trap- 
pings, and every legion marching in true order, and the 
tribunes and decurions and centurions each at his post, and 
the golden Eoman eagles blazing at the head of every 
legion, and every eagle encompassed by the glowing ensigns 
adorned with images of many noted gods. 

All day long, those legions marched before the eyes 
of the astonished Jews, who crowded all the Temple walls, 
and towers and housetops, to witness the magnificent dis- 
play. For thus was the Eoman army put in line of parade, 
that each legion might receive the subsistence-money due 
the soldiers for their wages. 

For four days this grand review continued, Titus hoping 
that this display of the strength and numbers of his host 
would so impress the Jews, that they would conclude that 


322 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


it was hopeless longer to withstand the Eomans ; and thus 
the siege would come to an end, before the city and 
Temple were destroyed, for Titus was anxious to preserve 
so famous a city, and such a glorious edifice as the 
Temple. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


323 


CHAPTEE XX. 

JOSEPHUS EXPOSTULATES WITH THE REBELLIOUS JEWS. — 
SHOCKING BARBARITIES. 

Then did Titus also send Josephus to speak to the Jews 
in their own language, and persuade them of the useless- 
ness of further resistance ; and thus Josephus spake : — 
Can ye hope, after two walls have already been taken 
by the Eomans, that the third will hold out ? And why 
do ye disdain to be subject to Eome, which has conquered 
the world ? Will ye not be wise, and surrender while the 
Eomans are willing to have mercy upon you ? — for ye must 
indeed succumb in the end, — if not by the force of arms, 
then verily by the continuance of the famine. Hath not 
God also manifested His intention to give Eome the victory, 
since the springs without the city, which have in years 
past been dried up, are now affording the Eomans an abun- 
dance of water ? And do ye not remember, how when 
Zedekiah, King of Judah, would fight with the Babylonians 
contrary to the word of the prophet Jeremiah, the Jews 
were allowed to be led into captivity and their Temple des- 
troyed ? Why will ye longer rebel ? When your fathers 
were removed into Egypt, and were subject to tyranny from 
foreign kings for four hundred years, yet did they not 
attempt to defend themselves by war and fighting ; but did 
commit their ways unto God, who delivered them out of the 
hands of their enemies. 


324 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


^^And now also ye have desecrated the Holy Temple, 
and given yourselves over to wicked seditions, when ye 
ought to have sought help from Jehovah and repented ye 
of your past transgressions, if, perad venture. He might 
please to turn from your city the armies of foreign foes. 

And verily, if the Great God did see fit to deliver your 
city, then would that be accomplished in spite of all the 
armies of the world. But plainly Jehovah purposes to 
allow the Homans to continue to hold dominion over this 
land for some wise plan of His own Omniscient Will, else 
would He not give Home this constant victory. Therefore 
no longer fight against God, but submit while there is yet 
mercy to be meted out to you.’^ 

The Jews, for answer, threw their darts and stones at 
Josephus, and one wounded him so that he was borne away 
by the Eomans unconscious. Thus did the Jews press on 
towards their own destruction. 

Tlien did Titus summon his commanders for consultation 
regarding the best mode of procedure to hasten the taking 
of Jerusalem. At the council-of-war, Titus thus addressed 
the tribunes and centurions, gathered within his tent, — 

Komans ! I have called ye thither to seek your advice. 
What would ye counsel in the present emergency ? ” 

Then answered Longinus, who was of a warm temper 
and impatient of delay, — 

would say, 0 mighty Caesar, that it would be well 
to bring the entire army against the city, and storm the 
walls ; for hitherto only a part of the legions have been 
engaged in battle.” 

What sayest thou, Placidus ? ” asked Titus. 

I would counsel. Great Caesar, ” replied Placidus, 
^^that a wall should be raised by the army around the 
entire city; for it is impracticable to cast up any more 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


325 


banks for want of materials. Moreover, the banks have been 
frequently destroyed by the Jews. There are so many secret 
passages, known only to them, through which they sally 
forth, and even procure provisions from without, and thus 
prolong the siege ; therefore it seems such a wall, entirely 
shutting in the Jews on all sides, will be the only sure 
way to convince the inhabitants of Jerusalem that it is 
useless longer to hold out against the Komans.’’ 

When some of the commanders objected to this plan 
of Placidus as being too difficult to accomplish, Titus 
responded : — 

If any one should think such a work to be too great, 
let him consider that it is not fitting for Eomans, after 
their past conquests, to undertake any small thing ; and 
therefore I give orders that the army be distributed to 
their several shares of this work, and thus shall it be 
accomplished.’^ 

Such was the energy of the soldiers, inspired by the 
words and presence of Titus, that this great wall was com- 
pleted in three days. The city being thus encompassed, 
Titus put garrisons in proper places, and divided the three 
watches of the night, in this wise : Titus himself taking 
the first ; Alexander, the Egyptian, the second ; and the 
commanders of the legions, the third. 

Thereupon, many deserters from the Jews leaped from 
the walls, and fled to the Eomans, from the famine in the 
city ; but these met with a terrible fate. For the Syrian 
and Arabian auxiliaries, being informed that many of the 
fleeing Jews swallowed their gold to keep it from the 
robbers, and pieces of gold having been found in the dead 
body of a Jew, — these Arabians and Syrians, in their ava- 
rice, did straightway cut to pieces two thousand of these 
J ewish deserters in one night, hoping to find that gold had 
been swallowed by them. 


326 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Now when Titus was informed of this shocking barbarity, 
his anger was very great, and he would have ordered that 
the men who had committed such savage deeds should be 
shot dead by the archers ; but as the number of the guilty 
was very large, and some were his own Roman soldiers, he 
therefore threatened that any again found guilty of such 
wicked practices should be put to death. 

The suffering in the city of Jerusalem had now indeed 
become terrible. Such vast numbers died of starvation, 
that their bodies could no longer be given burial, and six 
hundred thousand are reported to have been thrown out at 
the gates, and lay in heaps around the city walls, presenting 
a horrible and ghastly sight, and filling the air with pestilen- 
tial odors. Over these dead bodies must the Jews tread, 
when they made sallies out of the city. Thus Jerusalem 
the Beautiful became the abode of every unclean thing, 
and never before were such shocking scenes witnessed by 
the eyes of men. 

Then as Titus rode round the city, he was filled with 
horror, and exclaimed, — 

I call God to witness that this is not of my doing ; for 
I have had compassion on the people, and would save their 
city from destruction.’’ 

Titus, at this time, set his army to erect banks against 
the walls of the Tower of Antonia, knowing that this 
famous fortress commanded the entire city. And it came 
to pass that the Romans put their battering-rams over 
against the walls, and began to hurl stones against the 
bulwarks, and to strike upon the battlements with the great 
iron rams ; and the Jews shot darts from their defences ; 
and the noise of battle was tremendous, and the cries of 
the dying rent the air, and the shouts of the combatants 
joined the thundering of the stones. Then for a moment, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


327 


a lull in the terrible tumult occurred ; and then was heard 
again that direful cry, rising above the noise of battle 
and the shrieks of the dying, — 

Woe to Jerusalem ! Woe to the City and to the Temple 
and to the people ! A voice from the East, a voice from 
the West, a voice from the four winds; a voice against 
Jerusalem and against the Temple ; a voice against the 
bridegrooms and the brides ; a voice against the whole 
people! Woe to Jerusalem! Woe to the Temple ! Woe 
also to myself ! ’’ and the mournful cry ceased, for a 
stone from one of the engines of the Eomans struck the 
Prophet Joshua standing upon the city wall, and cast him 
down, and he died. Thus was his warning prophecy 
fulfilled. 


328 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XXI. 

TITUS CAPTURES THE TOWER OF ANTONIA. — JESSICA AND 
MIRIAM VIEW THE CONFLICTS FROM THEIR ROOF-TERRACE. 

Then John of Gischala, with many of his followers, among 
whom was Aziel and his company of soldiers, issued forth 
from the Temple and sought to burn the siege-works of the 
Romans, that the Tower of Antonia might not be captured ; 
for this fortress defended the Temple. But the Romans 
put out the fires ; and though the Jews left upon the 
battlements poured boiling oil upon their enemies, and shot 
showers of arrows, and hurled sharp-pointed darts without 
number, and the slingers constantly threw stones and other 
missiles at the forces battering the walls, yet were the 
Romans not routed; but closing their shields over their 
heads they took no hurt from the darts and stones, and did 
undermine the wall, having moved four of the great stones 
from their places. Whereupon during the night, the wall 
fell down with a mighty crash ; but John had built a second 
wall within, so were the Romans not yet masters of the 
Tower. 

By Hercules ! cried Titus, determined not to be thus 
baffled. ^‘A thousand denarii to the soldier who shall 
first dare to scale the wall ! 

But for a time the Romans hesitated, until one Sabinus 
exclaimed^ — ^ 

0 Caesar, willingly do I offer myself for this work, and 
think naught of the danger, if I may win thy favor ! 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


329 


Accordingly this courageous man drew his sword, and 
holding his shield above his head, he ran forward, followed 
by eleven others who had been fired by his words. 

The Jews, being astonished at his daring, at first fled 
before him, thinking a host would follow ; but ill fortune 
happened to him, for when he had gained at so much risk 
the top of the wall, he stumbled on a stone and fell. 
Whereupon the Jews covered him with javelins, and he 
died. 

But at the ninth hour of the second night twenty Eomans 
took with them a standard-bearer, a trumpeter, and two 
horsemen, and silently approached the ’fall ; and finding 
the sentinels asleep, they slew them, and gained the top of 
the wall, when the trumpeter blew a blast, and the guards, 
thinking a host had won the citadel, fled. Titus, hearing 
the trumpet, came in haste with a company of soldiers, and 
took possession of the Tower of Antonia. But when the 
Romans would then have taken also the Temple, J ohn and 
Simon joined forces, and drove them back to the Tower ; 
and the battle waged hot for ten hours between the Jews 
and the Romans. 

Then a brave Roman named Julianus, a centurion, who 
was standing by the side of Titus in the Tower of Antonia 
(from which point Titus commanded the troops), when he 
saw that the Romans gave place to the Jews, straightway 
leaped down, and with his own arm he drove the Jews 
into the Inner Court, and would have put them still farther 
to flight. So great was his daring that Caesar gazed on him 
with wonder, and the enemy regarded him with terror; 
but as he ran across the polished pavement of the Temple, 
the nails in his shoes tripped him, and he fell. Aziel, 
though astonished at his courage, knowing so daring a foe 
to be dangerous, did straightway hurl at him a dart, which 


330 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


pierced his heart; and other Jews also assailing him, he 
soon was killed. 

Titus then determined to destroy the Tower of Antonia, 
so that the army might more easily approach the Temple. 
This was done, the Tower being levelled, save one watch- 
tower. Then ought the Jews to have remembered that the 
destruction of their Temple was nigh, for they had a certain 
oracle which said, — 

^^The Temple and the City shall be taken when the 
shape of the Temple shall be four-square.^’ 

And this indeed came to pass, for the destruction of the 
Tower of Antonia made the form of the Temple four- 
square. 

Moreover, Titus reverencing the Temple more than the 
Zealots who had profaned it, once more appealed to the 
Jews, saying, — 

<< Why do ye trample upon dead bodies in this Temple ? 
And why do ye pollute this Holy House with the blood of 
both foreigners and Jews themselves ? I appeal to the 
gods of my own country and to every god that ever had 
any worshippers in this place; to my own army I also 
appeal, and to those Jews who are now with me, and 
even to you, yourselves, that I force you not to defile this 
your Sanctuary ; and if ye will but change the place 
whereon ye will fight, no Koman shall either come near 
your Sanctuary, or offer any affront to it ; nay, I will seek 
to preserve your Holy House whether ye will or no.” 

But the Jews thought that this exhortation of Titus pro- 
ceeded from his fear of them, and so they pressed on to 
their ruin. 

Then Aziel remonstrated with John and said, — 

If the Eomans thus swear by their right hand that they 
will not destroy the Temple of Jehovah, let us not by our 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


331 


stubbornness cause its destruction. If this Holy Sanctuary 
will be respected by our enemies, let us take heed to the 
words of Titus, and meet the Komans in battle on ground 
less holy than the sacred Courts of the House of Jehovah/’ 

But John and his followers cried out against Aziel, and 
accused him of treachery. So Aziel, finding his protesta- 
tions* were of no avail, returned to his place, determining 
to meet his doom with his right arm still defending the 
sanctity of Jehovah’s Temple. 

This was the terrible scene which now presented itself 
to the eyes of the ill-fated inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and 
part of these heart-rending confiicts were plainly visible to 
Jessica, Miriam, and Eachel on their roof-terrace. 

For now Titus delayed no longer, but brought his 
battering-rams and machines of war against the wall of 
the Inner Temple. 

‘‘ On, Eomans, to the conquest ! ” cried Titus. 

^^In the name of great Jupiter and Osiris, conquer these 
dogs of Jews ! ” shouted the Egyptian Alexander. 

“Let us see if their Jehovah will save them now!” 
exclaimed Longinus, as he rushed onward at the head of 
his cohort. 

“Up, Eomans ! to the walls of the northern gates with 
your engines ! ” commanded Placidus, leading his legion 
forward. 

“ Fight, men of Israel I for your Temple and your 
homes I ” shouted Aziel, placing his band of soldiers before 
the Gate of the Holy Place. 

Then the clangor of war deafened the ear, and a mighty 
cry rose from the city, like the roar of thunder ; and the 
flashing of swords cut the air like the darts of the lightning. 

“ Fight, ye J ews, for your lives ! ” yelled John of Gischala, 
rushing to the cloisters, where the Eomans were placing 
ladders to the wall, and mounting thereon. 


332 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Fire the mines in the Chamber of Burning! ’’ com- 
manded Simon, son of Gioras ; for the Jews had previously 
filled certain of the cloisters with dry materials covered 
with bitumen and pitch, and had thus prepared an 
immense funeral pile for the unconscious Eornans, who 
scaled the walls, by means of ladders, and rushed upon the 
top with confident delight at this apparent victory. 'Sud- 
denly the flames burst forth beneath them, and the walls 
fell, and multitudes of Eornans were buried in the flaming 
ruins. Then were many daring deeds performed by the 
Eornans thus overtaken by this dire calamity. One noble 
youth, named Longus, being a soldier of rare courage, 
standing on the burning walls, was promised safety by 
the Jews if he would surrender to them. But the brave 
knight, for answer, lifted his sword and slew himself in the 
sight of both armies, being unwilling to tarnish the glory 
of the Eoman name by saving life at the risk of that 
reputation craved by a Eoman knight, of never yielding to 
an enemy. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


333 


CHAPTEE XXII. 

THE FALL OF THE TEMPLE. THE CAPTURE AND 

DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 

While the flames shot upward from the cloisters of the 
Temple, and the glorious Porch of Solomon blazed from 
end to end, a Koman soldier seized a burning brand, and 
being lifted on the shoulder of a comrade, he threw the 
lighted torch through the golden window leading to the 
Holy Place. This sacred Court was soon in flames; per- 
ceiving which, Titus ran to the entrance, and cried to his 
fighting soldiers, — 

Quench the fire ! I would not that this most glorious 
of all the works of earth should be destroyed! ’’ 

But the frenzied soldiers heeded him not, but rushed 
within the sacred portals , crying, — 

Down with the priests ! ’’ and flashing forth hundreds 
of swords, they slew the priests, and multitudes of women 
and children who had fled there for safety ; and the steps 
leading to the Altar of Burnt Offering ran red with rivers 
of blood; and the shrieks of the dying filled the air, which 
cry was taken up by all the Jews in the city, who, from 
housetops and walls, beheld the destruction of their hon- 
ored Temple. And the wail of desolation was echoed by 
the hills; while the roaring of the tongues of fire, and 
thunder of the engines of war, and the shrieks of the 
vast multitudes of dying men, women, and children, with 
the shouts of the victorious Komans, and the groans of 
despair, and the outcries of the defiant Jews, raised a 


334 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


tumultuous clamor, such as was never before echoed by 
the hills of earth. 

When the Temple burst forth into flames, Jessica, on 
the housetop, cried, — 

‘‘The doom has fallen! The Temple of Jehovah is 
destroyed 1 ” 

While Miriam echoed, with a gasp, — 

“ Oh, where is Aziel? ’’ and sank sobbing into her sister’s 
arms. 

“To the Chamber of the Fountain, Jews!” shouted 
Aziel; “and draw water from the well to quench the 
flames which envelop the Courts; perchance we may yet 
save the Holy Place ! ” Whereupon his band, rushing 
towards the Court of the Priests, seized the great brass 
basins, prepared for the ablution of the priests and the 
washing of the sacrificial victims; then they ran to the 
Chamber of the Fountain, where they filled them with water, 
and labored strenuously to quench the fierce fires already 
licking with huge, red tongues the magnificent pillars of 
the Holy House, while the monster dragons of fiery de- 
struction writhed onward towards the Holy of Holies. 

Then Aziel placed himself within the Inner Court, and, 
with sword in hand, stood guarding the purple veil before 
the Holy of Holies, looking like the angel protecting the 
gate of Eden with a flaming sword, as he cried, — 

“ Death to the Pagan hand that dares to touch this sacred 
veil ! ” 

While the fire-serpents hissed toward him, and devils 
revelled in a carnival of ruin, and rivers of blood ran red 
at his feet, and the demons of Hades seemed let loose 
within those sacred walls, and human beasts wild with 
fury slaughtered each other upon those hallowed pave- 
ments, and the air quivered with the piercing shrieks of 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 335 

woe, there stood Aziel, like an angel of light, guarding the 
Holy Shrine. 

But the efforts of the Jews to quench the flames were 
of no avail; for when the fires were put out in one spot, 
straightway a Eoman soldier again seized a burning brand, 
and threw it through the hinges of the golden gate leading 
to the Holy Place, and immediately the flames were re- 
newed, and waged hotter than before. 

^‘But thou shalt roast thyself for that foul deed, thou 
Pagan! ” cried a Jew who had observed the act. ‘‘Throw 
him into the flames which he has kindled! ’’ he shouted to 
his comrades. Whereupon they lifted the Boman and 
flung him into the very midst of the fire, crying, — 

“Taste the fire thyself, thou heathen dog! ’’ 

Before the fire had completed its awful destruction, 
Titus went into the Holy Place with his commanders, and 
they gazed, astonished at the glory of it, wondering at 
the richness of its adornments, the beauty of its mar- 
vellous veils, the dazzling splendor of its many gates 
overlaid with gold and silver plates, the magnificence 
of its vessels of gold and silver; and, above all, they 
stood entranced before the colossal vine of gold and 
precious stones, blazing, like an arch of glory, over the 
gorgeous Babylonian curtain, resplendent with rainbow 
tints, hanging before the golden gate which opened into 
the Holy Place. Hoping still to save this glorious Inner 
Court, Titus endeavored to restrain the fury of his troops ; 
but their hatred of the J ews leaped all bounds, and their 
greed of plunder, when they beheld the glittering treas- 
ures of the Temple, was greater than their awe of Caesar, 
and they would no longer heed his words; and the 
Holy Place, and more sacred Holy of Holies, was utterly 
destroyed. 


336 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Then did John of Gischala, with certain of his followers, 
take refuge in the caverns beneath the Temple, hoping to 
escape; while the Komans carried their ensigns to the site 
where lay the ruins of the glorious Temple, and they made 
loud acclamations of joy, and saluted Titus Imiierator, 
They had taken such vast quantities of spoils from the 
Temple, that a pound of gold was sold for only one half 
its former value. 

After this, Titus took also the Upper City with little 
effort, the Jews being weakened by famine, and discouraged 
by the destruction of their Temple. When Titus beheld 
the strength of the walls of the city, and the immense size 
of the stones in the foundations, and the formidable posi- 
tion of the towers, he exclaimed, in amazement, — 

“We have certainly had God for our help in this war! 
And it was no other than God Who ejected the Jews out 
of these fortifications; for what could the hands of men, 
or any other of his machines, do towards overthrowing 
these towers?” 

Then did Titus command that the city should be de- 
stroyed, and laid level with the ground, save only the 
three great towers, left as proof of the formidable battle- 
ments which had been conquered by him. 

Thus fell the glorious Temple of Jehovah! It is a 
memorable fact that within eight months of each other 
the two national Temples of the Komans and the Jews 
were destroyed by fire. For eight months before the final 
ruin of the Temple on Mount Moriah, the Temple of 
Jupiter Capitolinus was consumed in the raging conflagra- 
tion on the Capitoline Hill, when the soldiers of Vitellius 
waged warfare with the adherents of Vespasian. 

Now Titus gave orders that the Komans should kill none 
but those with arms, and should take the remainder of the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 337 

Jews alive; which command was only partially obeyed, 
for the Roman soldiers and auxiliaries went through the 
city and burst into every house, killing many, and taking 
many prisoners. And often, when they had broken into 
the house, they beheld only heaps of the dead, for multi- 
tudes had died of the famine; while in the streets also 
were piled the dead. Yet, for all these numbers already 
slain, or dead from starvation, there were yet carried cap- 
tive by the Romans ninety-seven thousand souls. 

Then a certain priest, when he had been assured by 
Titus that his life should be spared, delivered up some of 
the choice ornaments of the Temple, which had been seized 
by him in the confusion of the conflagration. Among 
them were two candlesticks of gold, like to those in the 
Holy Place, and also golden tables and cups, together with 
the Book of the Law, gorgeous curtains from the Temple, 
and costly garments of the priests, — tunics and richly em- 
broidered girdles, — and many precious stones, also stores 
of purple and scarlet dyes of great value, together with 
abundance of cinnamon and other spices used in the mak- 
ing of the fragrant incense, and many other ornaments and 
rare objects from the Holy Place. 

After this, Titus called together his entire army, and 
praised them greatly for their valor, and rewarded many 
who had performed notable deeds, bestowing upon them 
crowns and chains of gold, and spears with golden shafts, 
and ensigns of silver, and promoted many in rank, and 
gave to his soldiers a great feast. 

Then Titus prepared to depart from the city with several 
legions, leaving the Tenth Legion to guard Jerusalem, and 
appointing one Pronto, his friend and ofiicer, to complete 
the destruction of the city, and the gathering of the 
prisoners. 


22 


338 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Inasmuch as Placidus was ordered by Titus to attend 
upon him, he failed to find his friend Aziel amid the cap- 
tured Jews, and to interest himself in his behalf. 

Now, as Placidus was passing through the Upper City, 
and when near the house on Zion’s Hill, he beheld a young 
maiden struggling in the grasp of a rough Arab soldier, 
who had captured her. The Jewish girl was half dead 
with fright, and did implore most pitifully that she should 
not be separated from her sister, whom other bands had 
captured. Then was Placidus moved with compassion for 
the sorrowful maiden, and he offered the Arab a large price 
as the ransom of the girl. Whereupon the Arab, being 
more fond of gold than of a useless and troublesome slave, 
released the maiden as he received the coveted money. 
Thus Placidus became unwittingly the rescuer of Miriam, 
whom he now took under his especial care, knowing not 
who she was, but intending to take her to Eome, as an 
attendant for his mother and sister in the Caelian villa. 

Meanwhile Jessica and Rachel had been seized by other 
ruffians ; and being borne to the place where Pronto appor- 
tioned the captives as slaves to the Roman commanders, 
they fell to the share of a Syrian captain. 

Then was Aziel also brought to Pronto, by a Roman who 
had captured him as he was fleeing from the burning 
Temple; and the Roman declared that Aziel was one of 
the rebel Jews, all of whom were condemned by Pronto to 
be slain. Then spoke up another Roman and said, — 

did overhear this young man expostulating with 
John of Gischala, and importuning him to fight no longer 
against the Romans; wherefore I deem his life worth 
saving.” 

Whereupon Pronto was moved with admiration for so 
handsome a young man as Aziel, whose imposing form 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


339 


and rare type made liim to be noted among all the Jewsj 
and, moreover, deeming that so knightly a figure would 
grace well the coming triumph of Titus in Home, Fronto 
was disposed to save him, and thus accosted him, — 

‘‘Didst thou take arms against the Eomans?’^ 

“I fought only in defence of the Temple of Jehovah,” 
replied Aziel, looking calmly in the face of him who held 
in his power the destiny of life or death; then, fearing he 
might be thought wanting in courage, he continued, — 

“ Think not I would not have fought the Komans, or any 
other enemy of my country, if I had deemed it to be my 
duty so to do. While my countrymen quarrelled amongst 
themselves in civil warfare, I withheld my sword, and 
counselled moderation ; but when the Temple was menaced, 
I was willing to give my life in defence of the Holy House 
of God.” 

Then Fronto commanded that Aziel be placed among the 
young men chosen from the captives to grace the Triumph ; 
and as for many of the Jews who were over seventeen 
years of age, Fronto ordered them to be put into bonds, 
and sent to labor in the Egyptian mines; thereby uncon- 
sciously fulfilling an ancient prediction against the Jews, 
that if they became obstinate in their wickedness, they 
should be sold again into Egypt. 

Fronto also sent many thousands of the J ews into the 
Koman provinces, to be destroyed in the amphitheatres by 
wild beasts. And those who were under seventeen years 
of age were sold for slaves. As for the leaders of the 
rebels, John of Gischala, being compelled by hunger to 
surrender himself to the Komans, was kept alive and 
imprisoned by them for many years until his death. As 
for Simon, finding that he could not escape from the city 
through the caverns into which he had retreated, and 


340 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


hoping to astonish the Homans, he clothed himself in a 
white tunic and purple robe, and arose suddenly from the 
earth, in the place where the Temple had stood. But the 
Homans not being terrified at the apparition, as he had 
hoped, he was captured and reserved among the prisoners 
for the Triumph. 

Thus was Jerusalem the Beautiful utterly destroyed, 
and all her glory laid in the dust; and from the time of 
David to this destruction of the Holy City were one thou- 
sand one hundred and seventy-nine years. The Temple 
fell in August, a. d. 70, on the same day of the month 
when it had once before been demolished by the Assyrians ; 
and this final destruction occurred one thousand one hun- 
dred and thirty years, seven months, and fifteen days 
from its first foundation by Solomon, and five hundred 
and thirty-nine years and forty-five days from its restora- 
tion under Cyrus; while it was only in 64 a. d. that the 
restoration of the Temple of Herod the Great was com- 
pleted under Herod Agrippa II. So it had only stood in 
its full glory for the short space of six years before its 
final overthrow. 

Oh, Jerusalem I Jerusalem ! 

The Beautiful, the Fair ! 

Thou wert Jehovah’s Holy City ! 

The Beloved, the Hare ! 

Midst the Lilies of the Valley, and Hose of Sharon sweet ; 

How fair wert thou. Beloved Dove, how beautiful thy feet! 

I am come into my garden fair, 

My sister and my spouse ! 

I have gathered myrrh and spikenard rich, 

And offered solemn vows. 

O Daughter of Jerusalem, with eyes like stars of night ! 

Thou wert to me more glorious than aught within my sight ! 


THE DOOM OE THE HOLY CITY. 


841 


White as snow-capped range of Lebanon, 

Is Zion’s Daughter fair ! 

Where in Gilead, or in Hebron, 

Can aught with her compare ? 

As she looketh forth in the morning, bright as the star of dawn. 
As she smileth in the evening, radiant as the moon-lit lawn. 

O fair Daughter of Jerusalem ! 

Enthroned amidst thy hills ; 

With thy gardens and thy fountains pure, 

Thy zephyrs and thy rills ! 

And Siloam’s sacred waters, and Mount Olive’s sacred shade ; 
Thou wast, of all earth’s daughters, for great Israel’s glory made. 

O Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! 

Thou liest in the dust I 
There are ashes on thy sacred head I 
Thy gold is turned to rust ! 

Mourn for Zion’s Daughter fallen ! wail for her departed throne ! 
For she sitteth clothed in sackcloth, and with all her glory flown. 


342 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTEE XXIII. 

THE TRIUMPH OF VESPASIAN AND TITUS IN ROME. — JESSICA 
IN THE ARENA OF THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE. 

And now we must follow Titus to Eome, and behold his 
magnificent Triumph. 

Vespasian had been Emperor for nearly two years, and 
did decree that the Triumph of himself and his son Titus 
should be celebrated at the same time. 

Then was Eome gay with garlands, and the streets were 
thronged with the populace gathered to behold the glory 
of their Emperor and his victorious son. 

Vespasian and Titus, according to custom, spent the 
night before the grand ceremony at the Temple of Isis, 
guarded by the entire Eoman army. As soon as the day 
dawned, Vespasian and Titus issued forth from the temple, 
clothed in royal garments of purple, and crowned with 
wreaths of laurel; and, escorted by the soldiers, came to 
the terraces of Octavia, where the Senate and knights and 
principal officials of Eome awaited them. A tribunal had 
been erected near the cloisters, and ivory chairs were 
placed upon it; and Vespasian and Titus, '"attired in their 
silken robes, being unarmed, did seat themselves upon the 
curule chairs of state, while the soldiery shouted their 
applause. 

Then Vespasian made a signal for silence, and when 
peace reigned, he arose and covered his head with his 
mantle, and offered prayer, as did also Titus. Then 
Vespasian addressed the people, and bade the soldiers 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


343 


depart to the splendid banquet which had been prepared 
for them; while Vespasian and Titus retired to the Gate 
of Triumphs, through which all such pompous shows were 
wont to pass. There, having taken food, and put on 
their gorgeous triumphal garments, they sacrificed to the 
gods , and then ascended their triumphal chariots ; and the 
procession being formed, the gorgeous pageant marched 
through the theatres, that all the populace might view the 
splendors, the like of which had never before been wit- 
nessed; and thus passed on through the Forum to the 
Temple of Jupiter, which had been rebuilt on the Capito- 
line Hill. 

And such was the dazzling magnificence of the scene, 
that it can scarcely be portrayed in language; for the 
richest treasures from all parts of the known earth were 
gathered there; and articles of rarest workmanship carved 
in the precious metals and in ivory, and adorned with 
glittering gems, and gold and -silver, did appear so plenty 
as to cease to cause surprise, and the gorgeous array of 
matchless splendors did but demonstrate the wide dominion 
of the Romans, and the glory of their conquests. 

There were to be seen the rarest of Babylonian tapestries, 
embroidered by the subtle art known only to that nation; 
and there were carried also crowns of gold, blazing with 
dazzling jewels, and images of the gods, wonderful for size 
and workmanship, formed either of gold or ivory, and 
other costly materials. The men also who bore on their 
shoulders these precious objects, were clothed in purple 
robes, interwoven with threads of gold,, and wearing 
crowns of gold priceless in value. The long rows of cap- 
tives were also attired in festive garments, which com- 
ported little with the sadness of their countenances. 
Among the captives walked Aziel, with kingly mien, head 


344 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


erect, and flashing eye. So noble was his bearing, and 
so marked his beauty, that all beholders noted him, and 
wondered from whence he came. 

There were likewise marvellous carriages, two or three 
stories high, borne along in the procession, and these were 
adorned with carpets of gold, draped with glowing hang- 
ings, and ornamented with strange devices in gold and 
ivory. On the sides of these amazing structures were 
mammoth pictures representing various scenes of war: 
here a burning temple; there a country laid waste by 
fire. The battles were portrayed with terrible vividness, 
— huge machines of war, armies entering besieged cities, 
bloody conflicts, horrible scenes of carnage, fleeing multi- 
tudes of men, women, and children, the torturings and 
crucifixions of captives, and other heart-rending incidents 
of grim and direful war. There were many other spoils 
of war; but most notable of all were the golden candle- 
sticks and vessels of gold from the Temple at Jerusalem, 
and the table of gold weighing many talents, and the 
purple veils of the Holy Place, and the sacred Book of 
the Law. 

After these spoils came many carrying images of Victory, 
made entirely of ivory and gold. Then rode on Vespasian 
in his gorgeous chariot and triumphal robes, Titus following, 
magnificently arrayed, together with his brother Domitian; 
and thus the glittering pageant passed through the Imperial 
City, amidst the shouts of the wondering populace. 

How when this imposing procession reached the Temple 
of Jupiter Capitolinus, it halted; for it was an ancient 
Eoman custom that the triumphal spectacle should pause 
here, until word was brought to the general that the cap- 
tured chief of his enemies was slain. So Simon, the son 
of Gioras, who had been led in the Triumph among the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


345 


prisoners, was taken to the steps leading down to the 
Mamertine Prison, and was there slain; which being 
known, the people set up a great shout for joy, and offered 
sacrifices to Jupiter. 

After this Triumph Vespasian built a noble Temple to 
Peace, and adorned this fane with priceless statues and 
oostly pictures gathered in his conquests. In this temple 
he placed the golden vessels and tables and candlesticks 
taken from the Temple at Jerusalem; but the purple veils 
of the Holy Place, and the Jews’ sacred Book of the Law, 
he kept in his own royal palace. 

There was to be a gladiatorial show in the amphitheatre 
in the Campus Martius. It was a year after the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. Miriam was kindly treated in the 
house of Placidus, and was received by its inmates as one 
of the family, though, according to Eoman law, as a 
prisoner of war, she was in truth a slave. But by no act 
nor word of Virgilia or Myrtilla was she made to feel that 
she was aught but an honored guest in their home. 

She was indeed borne down with a hopeless grief, for 
of neither Jessica nor of Aziel had she heard any tidings 
since they were separated in the distribution of prisoners 
at the fall of Jerusalem, save when she had beheld Aziel 
walking before the gorgeous chariot of Titus in the tri- 
umphal procession. Even then the head of Aziel was 
proudly erect, and his eyes alight with unflinching courage, 
denoting that his heroic spirit was unquelled by the calami- 
ties which had fallen upon him. Since that time the fate 
of Aziel had been unknown to Miriam, she being aware 
only that he was a slave of the conqueror Titus. 

Miriam had been prevailed upon by Placidus and Myrtilla 
to accompany them to this festival in the amphitheatre, 
and, led by some strange instinct, which after events ex' 
plained, she had consented. 


346 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


In the podium of the amphitheatre sat the Emperor 
Vespasian and his victorious son Titus, by whose side 
sat Queen Berenice and King Agrippa, whom Titus had 
brought to Home. And so much was he in love with the 
handsome Berenice, that he fain would have married her, 
but that he feared the displeasure of the Homans, who 
would have thought it unseemly that one belonging to the 
conquered nation of the Jews should be raised to the proud 
position of Caesar^s wife. So Titus made Berenice his 
favorite among the women in his household, and gave her 
the honor due an empress. Kear the Imperial party were 
the Vestal Virgins, while Placidus and his ladies occupied 
seats among the Homan knights, who were arrayed in 
glittering armor, and their brilliant military togas were 
clasped with jewels. 

Myrtilla, who appeared more often in public since the 
profligate Nero no longer sat on the throne of Home, was 
attired in a Grecian dress of white and silver; and many 
eyes were turned in admiration, not only upon the beautiful 
Homan lady, but upon her companion, the lovely Jewess, 
whose scarlet mantle and white gauze veil only partially 
concealed her exquisite face and lithe and graceful figure. 
Her dark eyes were overshadowed by a pathetic sorrow; 
her sweet mouth rarely smiled, and then with an expres- 
sion so pitifully sad that the smile was more touching to 
behold than tears. 

Fierce had been the gladiatorial combats, and bravos 
rang upon the air ; but Miriam saw na^ught of the exciting 
show, heard not the shouts of applause, and only raised 
her sad eyes when an exclamation from Placidus reached 
her ear. 

^^By Jupiter! a maiden! and so b^utiful!’^ he cried. 

Though Vespasian was not cruel, and sought not to per- 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


347 


secute any, yet he could not entirely restrain the brutality 
encouraged and practised by his infamous predecessor, 
Nero; and now, unknown to the Emperor, some of the 
panderers of vice and crime in Kome had arranged a hor- 
rible spectacle for the diversion of the populace. 

One of the Syrian captains who had fought with Titus 
in Judea, and hated the Jews with deadly hostility, had 
obtained a Jewish maiden as a part of his share in the 
spoils of war, and she had been his slave. Finding her 
resolute in a determination not to worship any god save 
only Jehovah, the Syrian captain had bethought him it 
would afford a goodly sight to Koman crowds, who gloated 
upon scenes of blood and cruelty, that this dauntless 
maiden should be forced to a public test of courage. She 
was too beautiful to sacrifice in secret. He would therefore 
add to the attraction of this great public festival by forc- 
ing her to face a tragic death, should her stubborn will 
still refuse obedience to his commands. 

Therefore the test had been arranged for one of the 
scenes in the amphitheatre, as a surprise to Kome’s popu- 
lace. And now, at a signal, the maiden was led forth into 
the centre of the arena by brutal bands of Lanistce, while 
a murmur of astonishment from the assembled multitudes 
reached the ear of Miriam. Lifting her eyes, she gave 
one glance into the arena, and with a wail of anguish, 
cried, “Jessica!’’ and fell into a swoon. 

Yes, it was Jessica, standing unmoved in the midst 
of that hostile crowd, lifting her head haughtily towards 
the Emperor, as though she would defy all Home by her 
own imperious will. 

“Wilt thou renounce thy God, and worship Jupiter?” 
she was asked by a Roman soldier, who guarded her. 

“Nay, never!” answered Jessica, with calm courage. 


348 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


Then, glancing at the Emperor, whom she regarded as akin 
to Nero, and of the same brutal character, she proudly 
said, — 

‘‘Never will I bow to any God save only to the Great 
Jehovah, God of my people Israel, and to His Son, the 
Christ, Whom now I recognize as the Messiah of the 
world.” 

“ Throw her to the hungry lions ! ” yelled the bands of 
brutal murderers selected for this bloody work. As they 
started toward her she stood with eye undaunted, head 
erect, and holding her manacled hands crossed before 
her beating heart. Then Placidus sprang from his seat, 
crying, — 

“ Hold, there ! In the name of the Emperor I demand 
a hearing!” and, rushing to Vespasian and Titus, he 
exclaimed, — 

“ Surely great Caesar knoweth naught of this nefarious 
action ! Command that the maiden be sold to me ! I will 
pay one thousand denarii to the man who owns this captive 
Jewess; and as that is the price of a brawny gladiator, it 
will, forsooth, suffice to him in exchange for a helpless 
maiden.” 

“That were indeed well spoken, father!” said Titus; 
“and moreover this Placidus, thou rememberest, was thy 
brave tribune, and my most worthy soldier in the war in 
Palestine, and thus may rightfully claim from us this 
favor, which, in truth, is only humane justice.” 

“ So be it ! ” said the Emperor ; and forthwith a herald 
announced that by word of the Emperor the maiden was to 
be delivered to the Eoman soldier Placidus, who would 
straightway generously indemnify her loss to her present 
owner by one thousand denarii, which, by the command 
of the Emperor, should be received as full ransom for the 
Jewish captive. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


849 


Exciting gladiatorial combats being then commenced in 
the arena, the multitudes quickly forgot the late scene, 
and turned with zest to the contest between two famous 
wrestlers. Myrtilla and her friends left the arena. 

Miriam had now recovered consciousness, and Myrtilla, 
with tender sympathy, related to her the present fate of 
her sister, and they hastened from the public assembly, 
and betook themselves to one of the side porticoes, where 
Miriam beheld brave Jessica, relieved of her cruel chains. 
The sisters embraced with tears and fond words of affec- 
tion; and Placidus, Roman soldier though he was, did not 
deem it unmanly to evince his sympathy, while Myrtilla’s 
tear-dimmed eyes looked lovingly upon the Jewish maidens. 
Placidus quickly placed his charges in closed litters, and 
they were speedily carried to the Caelian villa. 

Jessica, knowing not yet who her benefactor was, but 
realizing only that she was freed from chains, and was in 
the arms of her long-lost sister, lay in the palanquin, too 
weak for a time to speak, as the reaction of her strained 
nerves came upon her. Arrived at the atrium of the villa, 
she allowed herself to be lifted out in silence and laid upon 
a divan in the gorgeous hall. 

When she opened her eyes, her own Miriam stood before 
her, and by her side a Roman lady and a handsome soldier, 
who to the weary girl seemed naught but strangers. 

“Where am I, Miriam?” she faintly whispered. 

“Safe, Jessica, beloved! In the home of Placidus, the 
friend of Aziel, thou rememberest.” 

“ Wherefore are we here? ” she weakly asked. ‘‘Where 
are my brutal masters?” she added, with a shudder. 

“Thou art free from them forever, Jessica, my sister! ” 

“ How knowest thou they will not seek me here as their 
slave, and capture me again? ” 


360 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


^‘Because thy freedom from them was obtained by com- 
mand of the Emperor,” said Miriam, laying her hand with 
loving touch upon the shining head. 

^^Ah, I am, then, the Emperor’s slave!” cried Jessica, 
rising, with anger in her eyes, and contempt upon her 
lips, knowing naught of Emperors but the awful rumors 
she had heard of Nero^s infamy. 

‘‘Nay, Jessica, beloved!” rejoined Miriam; “thou dost 
now belong to Placidus, who obtained thy freedom by 
paying thy ransom.” She would not say that Placidus had 
purchased her. 

Jessica now sat up and pushed the golden hair back 
from her deep blue eyes, and gazed long and piercingly at 
the Koman soldier, standing there before her in an attitude 
of friendly pity. And well might the handsome Placidus 
have appeared charming in the eyes of a less defiant 
maiden, as he leaned in manly pose against one of the 
marble columns of the atrium. He was clad in an armor 
of glittering links of flexible gold, his shining helmet was 
surmounted by the image of an eagle, skilfully wrought 
in that same metal, while a full plaited tunic of white 
wool fell beneath his coat-of-mail, revealing the finely 
shaped limbs below the knee, down to the well-turned 
ankle, where the straps of his sandalled boots were 
fastened with golden buckles. On one shoulder was 
draped a red mantle bordered with threads of gold, and 
on his left side hung a jewelled scabbard containing a short 
sword. His hair and eyes were black, the former cluster- 
ing in short thick curls around his broad, full brow, the 
latter, piercing as an eagle’s, undaunted by sight of 
danger, as the eye of that proud bird when flying towards 
the blaze of the noon-day sun. His skin, touched by the 
breath of southern winds, was olive in its tint; but the 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 351 

shade was pale, not dark, and was like unto ivory when 
time has mellowed it to creamy richness. His arms were 
bare to the shoulder, as became a Eoman, who, like the 
Greek of those days, scorned a tunic covering limbs or 
arms as a sign effeminate; and in those brawny arms the 
muscles swelled like whip-cords, and in that valiant, brave 
right hand the soldier’s sword would be wielded fear- 
lessly in any cause his noble nature should deem worth his 
patriotic devotion. Every inch a gallant Eoman soldier, 
he stood there with his piercing gaze softened to pity as 
his eyes rested upon Jessica. 

“ So I am thy slave ! ” she slowly said, in tones of half- 
concealed dignity and pride, gazing at the young man with 
a glance which riveted his eyes upon her face. 

“Hay, nay, not my slave!” he interposed, while a hot 
blush of shame flushed his handsome face; but she, noting 
not his interruption, continued, — 

“Verily, Aziel said Placidus was a true friend, and I 
think him right. I thank thee for my life, preserved by 
thee! But know thou,” she continued, with fire deepening 
the blue of her eyes, and the blood flowing from her heroic 
heart to her soft, round cheeks, even for Flacidus, I will 
not how the hnee to Jupiter / ” 

The soldier gazed spell-bound at the maiden; blue eyes 
and black sought each the depths of the other’s soul, and 
Placidus thrilled before the earnest gaze which seemed 
to read his very thoughts. He had deemed his heart 
was touched by Miriam, and had battled with himself 
between his love for his friend Aziel , and the fascination 
which Miriam exercised over him, when he had reluc- 
tantly acknowledged to himself a growing conviction that 
Miriam’s heart had been given to Aziel, though no be- 
trothal existed between them. But now one glance from 


352 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the true eyes of Jessica had thrilled his being as had 
never woman’s presence before, and this discovery, which 
came to him as a lightning’s flash, made his position as 
master to slave all the more embarrassing and revolting to 
his high sense of honor. 

The girl still looked at him with unabashed steadfast- 
ness, betokening no unmaidenly boldness, but the inflexible 
will of an unconquered spirit, who would test well the 
nature of her new captor. Her scrutiny ending with a 
seemingly favorable result, she said, — 

^^Aziel did describe thee well.” And with a touch of 
her old sportiveness, added, — 

told him I was glad thou wert a dark man, and not 
one of the golden curls, and I am still content. I could 
not so well have obeyed one so like myself; Aziel and I 
always contended, and between slave and master such con- 
tentions cannot prevail.” 

Still dwelling on that hated slavery ! ” thought Placidus, 
while Miriam came to his relief by saying, — 

‘^Jessica dear, I too am the slave of this noble Eoman 
soldier, taken his captive in the war; but among these 
tender friends I know naught of slavery.” 

‘^1 am glad indeed, my sister!” cried Jessica, lifting 
her proud head with indignant horror at past memories. 
^‘Thanks be to Jehovah! Thou hast not had such lessons 
in slavery as have been meted out to me since last we 
parted at the gates of the fallen Jerusalem. Thou remem- 
berest when we were torn asunder by those brutal Homan 
soldiers, old Rachel clung to me, and so was apportioned 
to the captain, to whose share of spoils of war I fell. 
Then were we taken to Caesarea, and among the multi- 
tudes of captive Jews slaughtered in the amphitheatres of 
Caesarea and Berytus, in honor of the victory of Titus, and 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


353 


the birthdays of his father and brother, was old Each el, 
who was torn by wild beasts before my very eyes, as a 
spectacle well pleasing to the Eoman brutes who gloated 
in such scenes of bloodshed. Forgive me ! ” she said to 
Placidus and Myrtilla; “I have learned that some Eomans 
are most noble, and worthy of high regard; but at that 
time my knowledge of Eomans was only of my captors. 
I was not slain in Caesarea, because my master reserved 
me for a Eoman spectacle such as thou hast witnessed 
to-day.” 

Miriam and Myrtilla were sobbing aloud in sympathy 
with Jessica as she told her dreadful story; and Miriam 
could only cling to her, and kiss the poor thin hands she 
held in hers, and smooth the long wavy locks, which had 
lost none of their shining lustre, though the face of their 
owner had grown less round and dimpled through those 
months of anguished suffering. But the fair countenance 
had lost none of its witchery, and was more exquisite than 
ever in its martyr-like purity. 

“Where is Aziel, knowest thou?” she inquired of Placi- 
dus, as she returned her sister’s caresses. 

“I have learned but to-day,” responded Placidus, “that 
Aziel is among those Jewish slaves set to work by the 
Emperor’s orders to erect the great Coliseum, which 
Vespasian is building in honor of his triumph over 
Jerusalem.” 

Aziel a slave! Toiling in the gangs of manacled Jews 
in the making of bricks and the cutting of stones for the 
Emperor’s triumph, and thou his friend ? ” exclaimed 
Jessica, her eyes lighting with an angry flash. “I my- 
self will go to this Emperor, and give myself as his slave 
in place of Aziel; though my hands cannot make brick, 
perad venture my woman’s face may give me a hearing, 

23 


354 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


and the Emperor may be willing to add to his captive 
maidens, and release one of his Jewish laborers.” 

A quick pang of jealousy pierced the heart of Placidus, 
as he answered, — 

‘‘Lovest thou this Aziel so well?” 

At this Jessica gave him a glance as keen as the light 
reflected from a blade of burnished steel, as she haughtily 
replied, — 

^^’Tis for Miriam, my sister, I would free Aziel; it 
matters not what becomes of me, so they may be united ; ” 
and the cold light faded from her eyes, and was replaced 
by a warm glow of love as she rested them upon Miriam. 
Then the warmth faded, and a tear dimmed their brightness 
as she added, — 

Forgive me; I forgot I was not my own to give away, 
even to Eome’s Emperor.” 

The girl gives me the anguish of Tantalus ! ” muttered 
Placidus, under his breath ; then aloud, — 

^‘Be sure, fair Jessica, — so may I peradventure call 
thee?” he added deprecatingly , in tones rather those of a 
suitor to a maiden than a master to his slave — verily, 
I have employed already all measures possible to secure 
the freedom of Aziel. Think me not so base a friend,” he 
continued, “as to suppose that one hour elapsed after I 
learned the bitter news, ere I sought the presence of the 
Emperor in behalf of my Jewish comrade, and petitioned, 
with many offers of indemnity, that Aziel be released from 
such servile bondage and laborious toil. Thus far I have 
been unsuccessful, for Vespasian declares that Aziel has 
proved himself to be the most valuable of all his J ewish 
captives, being a cunning workman in metals, and withal 
strong of arm, and faithful in discharge of duties imposed 
upon him.” 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


355 


Noting the anguish depicted in the face of Miriam by 
these tidings regarding Aziel, of whose fate she had been 
hitherto ignorant, Placidus was convinced that Miriam, 
not Jessica, was the beloved one of his friend Aziel; and 
wondering much to himself at the strange and unexplained 
relief such knowledge had brought to his own heart, he 
straightway comforted the afflicted sisters, and promised 
to leave no effort untried for the securing of the speedy 
release of Aziel, in which endeavor the tender Myrtilla 
ably seconded him, as she reassured Miriam and Jessica 
with fond words of sympathy. The stately Virgilia enter- 
ing the atrium at this moment, and being informed by her 
daughter regarding the Jewish maiden, she clasped Jessica 
to her heart, exclaiming, — 

Thou poor afflicted child, thy troubles are ended ! Let 
me be a mother to thee ! ” 

And Jessica lifted her shining head from the arms of 
the noble lady and glanced archly at Placidus, while her 
blue eyes were brimming with tears of joy, and the smiles 
were contesting for victory on the quivering lips ; and from 
him she turned to her sister Miriam, flashing forth her old 
childish sportiveness, which no sorrow could obliterate as 
long as her imperious will was unbroken, as she artlessly 
cried, — 

^^And this you call slavery, Miriam! Come, teach me 
how to obey my new master ! ” and with a darting glance 
at Placidus, she was conducted by her sister and Myrtilla 
to their own more secluded apartments. 

‘‘What a lovely child! ” said Virgilia. 

“What a bewitching maiden! thought Placidus to him- 
self, as he proceeded to give to his mother an account of 
the strange and tragic events of the day. 


356 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

DAUGHTERS OF ROME AND JERUSALEM. 

In the porticoed nymphseum of the Cselian villa sat the four 
daughters of Home and Jerusalem, now all sisters in Chris- 
tian faith: Virgilia and Myrtilla, typical of the purified 
golden grains of truth, gathered from the dross of false 
beliefs, purged from alloy by the fires of Christian faith 
and love; Miriam and Jessica, exemplifying the realized 
faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who saw but the fore- 
shadowings of those blessed realities which had already 
come to pass, when the promised Messiah of the Old 
Dispensation blossomed in the effulgent glory of the 
Redemptive Mission of the Risen Christ. 

^‘I had hoped to have seen thy beautiful Jerusalem ere 
it was destroyed,” said Virgilia to Miriam; “I have longed 
much to follow in the sacred footsteps of the Christ along 
the shore of Galilee, by the banks of the Jordan, and 
through the streets of Jerusalem. I deem it a great privi- 
lege to have been permitted to have gazed upon the build- 
ings which overshadowed His sacred form as He walked 
through the Holy City, and to have rested beneath the 
shade of those olive-trees which had bent over His Divine 
head.” 

^^Thou art right,” responded Miriam. “I prize much my 
recollections of those sacred places; but none again will 
ever enjoy a like privilege, for, during the siege of the 
city, Vespasian and Titus cut down all the sacred trees to 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


357 


construct their war machines, so that not one tree was left 
standing in the city. Even Jericho’s palms were demol- 
ished, and Jordan’s banks laid bare. Naught but the sky, 
the water, and the hills of Palestine now remain as Jesus 
saw them. Even the sacred olives of Gethsemane were 

t 

turned into the battering-rams of the Koman army, where- 
with to break down the walls of the immortal city.” 

‘‘Knewest thou any in Jerusalem who had seen and 
talked with the Christ?” inquired Myrtilla. 

“Yes; my old nurse, Rachel, lived at Bethany, near the 
home of Mary and Lazarus, when a child; and she had 
often beheld the Christ when a young girl, and heard many 
of His matchless words.” 

“She was wont to tell me wondrous stories,” interjected 
Jessica. “For hours she would sit and weave the flax, 
and talk of scenes in Bethany, and recount the many 
marvellous miracles, as told to her by those who saw the 
deeds performed by Jesus in the towns and villages of 
Palestine.” 

“ Did they accord with what Matthew and Luke relate in 
their precious scrolls, treasured so greatly by the scattered 
and persecuted Christian churches?” 

“They were, in truth, the same,” replied Jessica; “only, 
as Rachel told the stories, they were more in. detail, such 
as a simple woman’s heart would gather, and made doubly 
impressive by the divine face, the thrilling voice, and pity- 
ing, loving eyes of the Christ Himself. Thus was Rachel 
a witness of His kindly deeds, a listener to the heavenly 
music of His tones, as he uttered some high message from 
the Father’s kingdom, or spoke comforting words to sorrow- 
ing hearts, or touched with an angelic caress the head of 
some young child^ drawn to His knee by wondering amaze- 
ment and irresistible attraction.” 


358 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


^‘Canst thou tell us aught of those things thy Kachel 
spoke to thee?’^ questioned Virgilia. Though I have 
read the scrolls, I never weary of their wondrous story, 
and fain would hear again the incidents; for much I hunger 
to catch some other little word which, peradventure, those 
disciples thought not of mighty moment, when they had 
so many deeds of love and words of tenderness to choose 
from, but which nevertheless would add much blessing to 
a woman’s heart.” 

‘‘I will recount some that come to me,” said Jessica, 
‘^and Miriam can prompt me if I go astray, or have failed 
to catch the full import of the incident.” 

^‘How looked the Christ? Did Rachel tell thee that?” 
asked Myrtilla. 

“Now and anon she gave me glimpses of His marvellous 
appearance: so like to man, so different from all men; 
so truly similar to ourselves as a human being, yet so dis- 
similar by all the awesome stretch between our features 
and frames, marred by our own sins and those of our im- 
perfect ancestors, and His pure, spotless nature, which, 
though human, subject to our weaknesses, yet, never sin- 
ning, left not slightest stain upon that human nature 
which He bore, and glorified by wearing it thus sinlessly. 
From what old Rachel said, I gather that the Christ was 
royal and imposing in His presence, like some Godlike 
One, yet with such gentleness as should draw a veil over 
His too great awesomeness. Thus did the Divine Majesty 
of the God-Man, curtained by the veil of mortal flesh, 
flash forth athwart the blue twin lakes of His deep eyes, 
otherwise mildly hyacinthine in their tint, like the blue 
flax flowers of Palestine.” 

“ His eyes were blue then, and not black, as are the eyes 
of most of those belonging to thy race of Jews? though 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


359 


I note with wonder the color of thine eyes, and those of 
Aziel.” 

^‘Jessica likes not her blue eyes,’^ said Miriam; ‘‘but 
sometimes those descending in certain lines , and born in 
northern climes, — for J ews are scattered in many lands, 
thou knowest, — some few amongst our people have the 
blue-gray and violet eyes.” 

“Why thinkest thou the eyes of Christ were azure in 
their tint?” asked Virgilia of Miriam. 

“Such is the received report,” she answered. “David 
was fair and of a ruddy countenance, and Mary, the mother 
of Christ, was descended from the House of David; more- 
over, Solomon is reported to have had hair with the gold 
in it, and eyes which reflected the blue sky. And then,” 
she continued, “ methinks the reason why the Christ should 
have those gold-brown locks, and eyes like Heaven’s truth, 
was that He should appear a most rare type midst Jewish 
swarthy men, thus marking Him as matchless amongst the 
sons of that peculiar people, whose great heritage it was to 
give the human mother to the Babe Divine.” 

“How dressed the Christ?” inquired Myrtilla of 
Miriam. 

“As Jesus was of lowly earthly birth, he wore not the 
fine linen and sumptuous apparel of those who live in 
king’s houses,” said Miriam; “neither did he wear the 
long flowing robe of the scribes and Pharisees. As the 
turban was used alike by rich and poor, Rachel described 
Him as wearing a white turban, binding back his flowing 
locks of gold, which hung in waving half curled ringlets ; 
hair holding in its gold a deeper tint and warmer glow, 
like shell of freshly-fallen chestnut, dropped from the 
open burr; not shading on the auburn, but with brown 
marroon shadows midst the locks, lighting to gold where 
the sunbeams kissed the waving masses.” 


360 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


‘‘Eachel said never did such light beam forth from 
human countenance/^ remarked Jessica. “E^ot only was 
it the beauty of perfect features, and godlike mould of 
brow 5 mouth pencilled with lines of deathless love 5 nostrils 
delicate of arch; brows and lashes darker in tint than hair 
and beard, yet nowise losing all their glistening gold : lips 
mobile as a woman’s, resolute as a conqueror’s, gentle as 
a mother’s, pure as an angel’s; cheeks somewhat pale 
from laborious toil in doing good, — ^but over every feature, 
and glowing in his eyes, there shone a light divine and 
awesome, and above His head one seemed to see a shin- 
ing circle, as though Heaven’s rays of glory crowned His 
kingly brow.” 

What color was His robe? ” questioned Virgilia. 

His tunic, the vesture underneath, was woven without 
seam, and therefore more valuable than the usual clialuk 
of white linen,” answered Jessica. “Eachel thought it 
was, perchance, a present from some of the women who 
had become His disciples, and ‘ ministered to Him of their 
substance.’ Over this under garment He wore the talith, 
loose and flowing. This mantle was often white ; but as 
in the Transfiguration we are told by Mark ‘ that His 
raiment became shining exceeding white as snow,’ it is 
thought the color was not white before. It was not red, 
for that was the military color. When Kachel saw the 
Christ, His mantle was a deep blue, fringed at the four 
corners by the Ciggith, according to Jewish law and cus- 
tom. Sometimes His mantle may have been white with 
brown stripes, which was the usual talitJi of the poor. He 
wore shoes or sandals on His feet, for John the Baptist 
says of Him, ‘There cometh One mightier than I, the 
latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and 
unloose.’ Around His loins He wore a girdle of linen or 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


361 


of skin; and when walking He carried a staff in His 
hand. ” 

“What of His voice?’’ asked Myrtilla. 

“ Rachel said His voice was of all sounds most marvel- 
lous to hear,” said Jessica; “like unto a mother’s for 
loving tenderness, like unto a god’s for commanding 
authority.” 

^^What was the manner of the Christ?” inquired 
Virgilia. 

“ He was gracious and gentle to all ; as courteous to the 
poorest beggar as to the high born; careful of the smallest 
and weakest of God’s creatures, — for He would step aside 
to give way to the humblest worm or ant lest He should 
harm them; nor would He tread on the tiniest floweret 
growing in His pathway, and would often stop to lift a 
birdling fallen from the nest, or give a drop of water to a 
fainting blossom, or bind up a broken tendril of a vine. 
Rachel said it seemed to her the lilies always bloomed 
with greater beauty in His presence, and the birds twitter- 
ing in the branches would break out in rapturous song at 
His approach, and animals fawned at His feet, and appeared 
endeavoring to show Him reverence.” 

‘‘How spake He to the multitudes who thronged Him?” 

“Like as a loving Father to His children, anxious to 
help them, and soothe their sorrows, and comfort them, 
and with untiring patience teach them, and lead them to 
love the right and true. He was considerate of their 
ignorance, and spoke in simple words, drawing pictures 
from the humble life around them, and from their homely 
duties, and from their most familiar objects, so that even 
a child could understand His loving message. But yet, so 
profound was His knowledge of all things, that the most 
learned and haughty scribes and Pharisees, who prided 


362 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


themselves upon their keen intellects, could never con- 
found Him, but He would put them all to shame with the 
marvellous depths and skill of His replies, until, amazed, 
they would exclaim, ‘ How knoweth this man letters, hav- 
ing never learned? ^ ” 

have here upon this leaf of ivory,’’ said Miriam, ^^a 
description of the Christ, written by a Latin historian in 
the days of Tiberius Caesar. When Aziel was in Eome, 
before the fall of Jerusalem, he found in one of the 
libraries a valuable piece of parchment, upon which these 
words were written. He copied them, and one day I 
borrowed his tablets and wrote the description of the 
Nazarene upon this ivory leaf. I read it to Kachel, and 
she said it was a truthful picture of the Christ. It is as 
follows : — 

^‘^News to the Senate of Eome, concerning JESUS 
CHEIST, in the days of Tiberius Caesar the Emperour, as 
the governours of sundry provinces under the Senate and 
people of Eome, used to advertise the Senate of such news 
as chanced in diverse countries. 

‘ Publius Lentulus, being at that time president in 
Judea, wrote an epistle to the Senate and people of Eome, 
the words whereof were these : — 

etc There appeared in these our days a man of great Vir- 
tue, named JESUS CHEIST, who is yet living amongst us, 
and of the Gentiles is accepted for a Prophet of Truth, but 
his own disciples call him the Son of God. He raiseth 
the dead, and cureth all manner of diseases. A man of stat- 
ure somewhat tall and comely, with a very reverend counte- 
nance, such as the beholders may both love and fear; his 
hair of the colour of philbert full ripe, and plain almost 
down to his ears ; but from the ears downward somewhat 
curled, and more orient of colour, waving on his shoulders. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


363 


In the midst of his head goeth a seam or partition of his 
hair, after the manner of the Nazarites; his forehead , very 
plain and smooth ; his face without spot or wrinkle, beauti- 
lied with a comely red; his nose and mouth so formed as 
nothing can be reprehended; his beard somewhat thick, 
agreeable in colour to the hair of his head, not of any 
great length, in the midst of an innocent and mature look; 
his eyes blue-grey, clear and quick. In reproving, he 
is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair-spoken; 
pleasant in speech, mixed with gravity. It cannot be 
remembered that any have seen him laugh, but many have 
seen him weep. In proportion of body, well-shaped and 
straight; his hands and arms right, and delectable to be- 
hold; in speaking very temperate, modest, and wise. A 
man for singular beauty surpassing the children of men.’ 

“This description was written before the crucifixion of 
Christ,” continued Miriam, “and is said to be the only 
authentic account in history of the appearance of Jesus 
Christ.” 

“Did Eachel behold the Christ when He raised the 
dead?” asked Virgilia. 

“She stood by the tomb of Lazarus when the Master 
called him from the grave to life,” answered Jessica. 

“I have read in a Christian scroll,” said Myrtilla, 
“that ‘Christ is not the influence of a memory only, but 
Christ is the power of an abiding presence. The best 
proof of the Divinity of Christ is the divinity which Christ 
puts in a man. Living faith is the acceptance of the love 
of God; no matter about ourselves; no matter about our 
fitness, but acceptance of the perfect love of God which 
covers us.’” 

“And this acceptance of the love of God,” rejoined 
Virgilia, “is as real, as much a fact, as the acceptance of 


364 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


the love of our earthly friend. ‘ All friendship, all love, 
human and Divine, is spiritual;’ but we do not therefore 
call earthly love only theory. ‘ God clothes Ilis great 
truths in our weak human speech; and this is Inspiration. 
God would educate men, and so through centuries of time 
He deals with nations, moulding them to His plan; and 
this is History.’ If we search for truth through Christ, 
we simply cannot fail to find it. ‘ If thy son ask bread, 
will ye give him a stone? ’ the Christ said to His disciples, 
as it is written in Luke’s Gospel scroll; and if we ask 
light and truth from our Heavenly Father, will He give 
us a lie? Verily, if we doubt God’s word, we have simply 
to doubt everything; and if we doubt the world beyond, 
we might just as well shut ourselves up in a cave, and 
doubt the light and the sun, and the trees and the flowers, 
and the winds and the waves.” 

^‘But we have seen and felt these,” interjected Myrtilla. 

“ But you would never have known of them if you had 
always been shut up in a cave,” responded Virgilia; “and 
those who will shut themselves up in the dreary cave of 
doubt will never know the reality of spiritual things. The 
infant has e^^es and ears, and senses of touch and taste, 
and yet how little he knows of the facts of his existence. 
And if he would never learn to exercise any of his facul- 
ties , of what value would all the facts be, so far as he was 
concerned? We have spiritual eyes and ears and faculties; 
but those who shut their eyes, and close their ears, and 
refuse to use their spiritual faculties, are as unconscious 
as the infant of the spiritual realities which shine with 
heavenly radiance in their pathway. Unless God’s greatest 
work — man — is an utter failure ! ” continued Virgilia, 
with deepening emotion; “unless this world is a myth, 
like Jupiter, and we are but phantoms, like the legends of 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


365 


the Grecian poets; unless destruction holds the helm of 
the ship of life, and chaos is the master of the universe, 
as the Stoics teach, — then as certain as that God reigns, 
as certain as that naught that He has created has failed 
of the purpose intended by its Creator, just so certainly 
will the Christian find in the beyond the realization of 
those powers of soul and spirit, of which he is conscious 
here, but which, if this world were all, would be but a 
cheat and a delusion; and man, of all God’s creation, 
would be the most terrible, the most awful, failure.” 

No wonder the heathen are in despair,” said Miriam; 
“ no wonder that their pagan philosophies offer them only 
the terrible alternative of suicide and annihilation, when 
the burdens of this life grow too great to be borne ; without 
God, the Jehovah, and Christ, the Messiah, what hope 
have they either in this world or in the beyond?”' 

“By those very laws of God, which work out the facts 
of science here,” rejoined Virgilia, “by still higher laws 
of God, which are none the less facts, and not any more 
theories, will the Christian fulfil his glorious destiny in 
the life beyond, even though he may pass through the fiery 
flames of a martyr’s death.” . 

“The ‘many mansions^ for the Christian,” averred 
Miriam, with sparkling eyes and exultant voice, “are as 
sure by the word of J ehovah as the rocks are facts , created 
also by the word and power of the same God. Thanks be 
to Elohim-Jehovah, that it was the word of the God-Man 
which declared the reality of the ‘many mansions;’ not 
word of prophet, apostle, priest, nor king. ‘ If it were not 
so, I would have told you,’ is a challenge to all doubt, to 
all unbelief. We simply must believe it if we know what 
it is to believe anything. If it is not true, then God would 
belie His own Word, and therefore would cease to be God. 


366 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


And so, the ‘ many mansions ’ for the believers in the 
Christ are surer than the sun and moon and stars, — 
surer than the earth beneath our feet, and the sky above 
our heads ; for all these things may pass away, but 
Jehovah’s word can never fail!” 

‘‘And though the glorious Temple is no more,” ex- 
claimed Virgilia, “and the Holy City is destroyed, the 
Cross is uplifted, and Calvary has become the Holy of 
Holies.” 

A Christian Jew in Eome thus states it in an impressive 
hymn : — 


The Temple and the Cross. 

On Mount Moriah’s radiant brow, 

The Temple gleamed resplendent ; 
Before this fane all nations bow, 

Awed by its strange enchantment. 

No Grecian famous Parthenon, 

Can claim an equal glory ; 

No Homan pagan Pantheon, 

Boasts such a wondrous story I 

Matchless midst all the shrines of earth. 
The Holy of Holies stood ; 

Unseen by those of mortal birth. 

Save one from the High Priesthood, 

Who, once each year, in sacrifice 
Might that sacred veil uplift ; 

Lighting the incense which should rise 
As Israel’s prayerful gift. 

Most sacred of all things on earth, 

That glorious Temple glowed ; 

Till a rich gift of greater worth. 

Was by God on man bestowed. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


367 


A Cross upreared on Calvary, 
Towers high above that shrine ; 

For on the Cross there hangeth One, 
The God-Man The Christ Divine ! 

That Temple, all so glorious. 

Lies shattered in the dust ! 

That Cross, proudly victorious. 

Is the shrine of all the Just ! 

When on Calvary, they lifted 
The Christ on that Cross of shame ; 
They wot not it would be gifted 
With such everlasting fame. 

When the Veil before the Holies, 
Was by unseen fingers torn ; 

Then the Cross became the Temple ! 
And Moriah’s brow was shorn ! 


As the shadows of twilight deepened, and the evening 
star hung like a tear of joy glistening in heaven’s blue, 
and the air seemed hushed, as though listening to catch 
the voice of God, those four Christian women sat silent for 
a time, each heart communing witli itself, black and blue 
eyes lifted with reverent gaze towards the delicately tinted 
clouds, still flushed from the sun’s last kiss. 

For on each brow glowed the star of Faith, life’s greatest 
gift to woman. 


368 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


CHAPTER XXV. 

QUEEN BERENICE AND PLACIDUS. 

In the Palace of the Caesars Queen Berenice held high 
court, and received imperial honors as the favorite of 
Titus, who shared with his father, Vespasian, in the 
homage accorded by the Roman people to the present and 
future emperors of Rome. Placidus, as Tribune of Titus, 
was frequently summoned to the Imperial Palace on mili- 
tary affairs. Berenice had not forgotten the handsome 
soldier. The remembrance of his studied coldness in 
Caesarea-Philippi piqued her woman^s vanity, and she, 
who ruled kings and emperors, determined to bring this 
haughty tribune to her feet, even though she must conde- 
scend to a seeming deference to a subject in so doing. 

Had wounded vanity alone been the motive of her pur- 
pose, she would have plotted his disgrace by whatsoever 
method it might be swiftest accomplished; but while plan- 
ning to ensnare him by her coquettish wiles, she herself 
had been made Love’s slave, and for the first time her 
haughty heart bowed as a suppliant, where her imperial 
rank would otherwise have asserted her prerogative of 
royal command. 

Since Berenice’s residence in the palace of Titus in 
Rome, she had often been present when Titus held audi- 
ence with Placidus on affairs of State, and she had con- 
descended to offer to his mother and sister many marked 
attentions, which would have flattered women of less 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


369 


exalted character. But Eoman courts were distasteful to 
Virgilia and Myrtilla, and beyond their necessary com- 
pliance with court etiquette, they failed to avail them- 
selves of the royal patronage of Queen Berenice. 

Berenice had observed Miriam with Placidus and 
Myrtilla, when the presence of Jessica in the arena of 
the amphitheatre of the Campus Martius occasioned such 
horrified surprise. Nor had she failed to note the sur- 
passing beauty of the Jewish maiden saved by Placidus 
from the awful fate of martyrdom. 

It was the hour of sunset. Berenice, in all the royal 
state of a Eoman Empress, was reclining upon a gorgeous 
divan in the 'peristyle^ or courtyard, of the Palace of 
Titus. This peristyley open to the glowing Italian sky, 
was surrounded with arcades ornamented with statues, 
while flowers bloomed in costly crystal vases, birds carolled 
amidst the blossoming shrubs, fountains cooled the air 
with opal-tinted sprays of delicious perfumes; crimson 
silk awnings threw a rosy light over the white marble 
columns, while the pavement of Oriental alabaster was set 
with star-mosaics of lapis-lazuli and chrysolite. 

Titus had given audience to Placidus in the Basilica 
beyond, and had withdrawn for his evening ceremonies 
into the larariumy or private chapel, for the worship of 
such imperial dead as had received the honor of being 
deified. 

Placidus meanwhile passed through the tahlinum, or 
family picture-gallery of the Cmsars, where huge statues 
of porphyry and basalt lined the walls. 

Placidus had improved this opportunity of gaining the 
ear of Titus to plead in behalf of Aziel, then toiling as a 
Jewish slave amidst the thousands employed in erecting 
the Coliseum. Titus had listened favorably to the appeal 

21 


370 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


of his tribune, who had offered to substitute two of his 
own slaves in the place of Aziel, and to pay a thousand 
denarii as ransom for his friend. 

Berenice, who played the imperial empress right royally 
over the susceptible Titus, had learned by experience that 
neither magnificent pomp nor dazzling beauty could allure 
the upright Placidus. 

As she reclined upon her gorgeous divan, surrounded by 
her attendant maidens, her woman’s heart quickened its 
beating at sight of Placidus approaching by way of the 
portrait gallery. She determined that he should not pass 
through the colonnaded portico without his usual cold 
obeisance to her rank and imperial prestige, though his 
demeanor always piqued her impulsive nature; for by his 
very studied courtliness he stabbed to the quick her selfish 
vanity. Por his manner was so dignified and distant that 
it betokened unmistakably that it was only to the royal 
rank he bowed, as a good Koman subject, not to the 
woman. It was merely military etiquette that constrained 
his obeisance, not subjection to her woman’s charms and 
fascinations. To make this man bend the lover’s knee at 
her feet had become her absorbing thought. 

Now, perchance, an opportunity had arrived to carry out 
her purpose. She had learned of the object of his visit to 
Titus, and she thereupon determined that she would take 
advantage of his interest in his friend Aziel to make her 
power felt. What Berenice willed Titus was usually ready 
to grant. She would espouse the cause of Aziel. Per- 
adventure this kindly condescension on her part might 
win the gratitude, and later the love, of Placidus. She 
had hitherto lacked opportunity to test her fascinating 
wiles upon him. 

This intervention in behalf of the Jewish slave would 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


371 


bring the Eoman soldier to her presence on a plausible 
pretext; and she doubted not that her vaunted beauty would 
cast its usual spell over this man, as it had never failed 
before to assert its powerful sway. 

Berenice hastily despatched a maiden after the departing 
Placidus, with the message that the queen summoned him 
to her presence. She awaited his approach with strange 
flutterings of her heart, which awakened in her commingled 
emotions of surprised delight, that she could yet experi- 
ence such thrills of hitherto unknown joy, and also a bitter 
self-reproach, that she, a queen, must acknowledge herself 
vanquished by a man who scorned her proffered advances. 

But love ruled, and the woman — not the queen — reigned 
sovereign of that hour. Aye, more, the queen must play 
the pa.rt of servant to her woman’s heart; for as she knew 
her rank would forbid all approaches from one in lower 
station, her royal prerogative should even be made the 
slave of love, and as a queen, she would sue for what her 
woman’s heart desired. As queen, she would break down 
the barriers, which, as woman, she would otherwise have 
been forced to wait for other agencies to level. 

As the handsome tribune, summoned thither by her 
messenger, paused before her, awaiting in silence her com- 
mand, she gazed into his eyes with impelling allurement, 
which had never before failed to work a potent charm ; but 
the dark eyes of the noble Placidus looked with calm cold- 
ness upon her royal beauty, which stung her so deeply that 
for a moment she trembled, shaken by the wild tumult of 
emotions waging bitter warfare in her heart between her 
pride and her love. Pride conquered for a moment, and 
with queenly hauteur she said, — 

“ Eoman, knowest thou not that the fate, not only of thy 
friend, but thine own fate also, lies in my hands ? With 
Titus my imperial wishes are law. Beware ! ” 


372 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


The soldier bowed, still silent; but his manly dignity 
was more imposing than kingly crown and royal sceptre. 
Berenice the woman recognized and admired his regal 
bearing; Berenice the queen resented it, and hated the 
subject who dared to ignore her imperial sway. But the 
woman conquered, and Berenice spake once again with 
tones of thrilling cadence, — 

“I will free thy friend Aziel;” and as Placidus looked 
up with grateful glance, she added, — 

^^Nay, more, 0 Koman; thou hast taught a queen how to 
admire a noble man; and for love of worthy men, queens 
have relinquished even royal rank, and have listened to 
the promptings of a woman’s heart. How much wouldst 
thou relinquish for love, Placidus?” 

^^All but honor. Queen Berenice; for love is next to 
honor in the estimation of a Eoman soldier.” 

“And what if love should give thee higher honor, 
Placidus?” 

“If love and honor go together, ’tis well,” replied the 
soldier. 

‘‘And would it not be honor to be beloved by a queen, 

0 Koman soldier? — one who could make thee a Koman 
general, or place thee next to Caesar himself in rank and 
power, even as I will do for thee if thou — ” 

“Beware, 0 queen! I am the tribune of noble Titus; 

1 plot not even with his favorites ! ” exclaimed Placidus, 
with flashing eyes. 

“Perchance it is that Jewish maiden slave thou wast so 
anxious to ransom who has enslaved your boasted Koman 
honor,” sneered Berenice. 

But she was quelled by the scornful contempt of the 
proud Koman’s glance; for it was not the slight of queen 
to subject that he so indignantly resented, but the insult 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


373 


of woman to woman. And now he^ rose in kingly majesty, 
and voiced the imperial honor innate in every noble nature, 
irrespective of rank or power j and his words were as 
dagger-thrusts to her heart, as he cried, — 

Beware, 0 queen, how thou dost cast a stain upon a 
woman’s name ! — and, moreover, on one so pure, with 
whom lives like thine compare not favorably in point of 
truth and honor ! I will acknowledge to thee, that if I 
can gain the love of that pure soul, I shall esteem it greater 
boon than imperial favor; for royal womanhood ranks 
higher than queenly title. A Koman knight does not 
tarnish his cherished honor when such a royal woman has 
gained his heart’s allegiance ! ” 

Berenice’s face paled and flushed with alternate anger 
and shame. In spite of her intense indignation, the 
emotion uppermost in her heart was one of supreme regret 
that she had failed to merit the allegiance of so noble a 
nature, and this regret was tinged with envy of the Jewish 
slave* girl, whose exalted character had inspired such 
stanch devotion. 

Placidus had boldly defied her displeasure, knowing full 
well the risk he incurred. But Berenice determined to 
show him that, though his political prospects might be 
irretrievably marred by her hostile influence , should she so 
resolve, she would merit his future respect by exercising 
her royal prestige in his favor. Had she loved him less, 
she would have sought the swiftest means for his down- 
fall ; had he been less noble, he would not have called forth 
her better nature. 

Thy friend Aziel shall be free ! ” were the words she 
spoke. 

thank thee, Queen Berenice!” said Placidus; and 
for once his glance was tender, as he bowed and lifted her 


374 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


hand to his lips. It was no lover’s caress, and she knew 
it, though the touch of his lips upon her jewelled fingers 
thrilled her. 

It was the obeisance of nobility to nobility. One look 
she gave him through blinding tears. For a moment the 
woman reigned. 

Then the queen resumed sway, and with royal dignity 
she recalled her maidens, who had retired during the inter- 
view beyond the crimson canopy. 

Placidus departed with pity in his heart for the mis- 
guided woman, with gratitude to the generous queen ; but 
all his dreams of love and happiness were centred round 
the glorious character of Jessica. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


375 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

MIRIAM AND AZIEL. — PLACIDUS AND JESSICA. — SCENE IN 
THE COLISEUM. — THE BRAZEN BULL. 

Miriam sat one day weeping in the garden of the Cselian 
villa; she was mourning for Aziel, and praying for his 
deliverance. Now that Jessica was safe, her constant 
thought was of Aziel. As she sat there in sorrowing 
meditation, the voice of Placidus cried behind her, — 

“ Behold thy friend ! ” 

And turning quickly, Miriam saw only Aziel, for Placi- 
dus had fled. 

With a cry of joy she rose and stretched out her arms to 
him, and he folded her to his heart, murmuring, — 

“ Miriam, my beloved ! ” 

“How didst thou obtain thy freedom?” she eagerly 
inquired. 

“Placidus paid my ransom, so I also am his slave,” he 
smilingly added. 

Then, tenderly kissing the white brow of Miriam, he 
continued, — 

“We need not a long betrothal, my Miriam; we have no 
parents living to make formal arrangements according to 
the custom of our nation. I have waited for thee many 
weary years, beloved, and our love was sanctioned by our 
fathers ; therefore we will be wedded without delay in the 
Christian church in Rome, by the Bishop vested with 
authority to perform the marriage ceremony. Besides, 


376 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


I am in haste to set about my mission; for though I am 
by Eoman law the slave of Placidus, who is also thy legal 
master, he desires that we shall be free to carry out a work 
to which I have given my life, having determined to go 
to Egypt, and preach the Gospel of Christ among the 
Jewish slaves sent into the Egyptian mines after the 
destruction of Jerusalem; for they have no Placidus to 
ransom them, and no hope in the Christ to comfort their 
afflicted hearts. Wilt thou be my wife, and accompany 
me thither?” 

And for answer, Miriam said, — 

“I am thine; do with me as thou wilt. ‘ Whither thou 
goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy 
people shall be my people, and thy God, my God. Where 
thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord 
do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee 
and me ! ’ ” 

Thus were Aziel and Miriam betrothed, and shortly after 
they were wedded. So did Jehovah send another deliverer 
to the Jews in bondage in Egypt. 

This leader should not, like Moses, bring them forth 
into an earthly Palestine; but he would point them to the 
New Jerusalem, “where God should wipe away all tears 
from their eyes, and where there should be no more death, 
neither sorrow nor crying neither should there be any 
more pain.” 

And to the sorrowing hearts of those sad Jewish slaves, 
mourning the destruction of their beloved Jerusalem, there 
would arise a glorious vision of “the Holy City, the New 
Jerusalem, having the glory of God; and her light like 
unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone clear 
as crystal; and a wall great and high, and twelve gates; 
and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


377 


which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of 
Israel. 

“And the wall of the city hath twelve foundations, and 
in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

“And the city lieth four square, and the length is as 
large as the breadth. 

“ And the building of the wall is of jasper, and the city 
is pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations 
of the wall of the city are garnished with all manner of 
precious stones. The first foundation jasper; the second, 
sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chryso- 
lyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a 
chrysoprasus ; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an 
amethyst. 

And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, every several 
gate of one pearl; and the street of the city is pure gold, 
as it were transparent glass. 

“And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the 
moon to shine in it; for the glory of God doth lighten it, 
and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

“And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day; for 
there shall be no night there. 

“ And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in 
the light of it; and the kings of the earth do bring their 
glory and honor into it. 

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing 
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, nor 
maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb^s 
Book of Life.’’ 

So Aziel founded a Christian Church in Egypt; and our 
last glimpse of Aziel and Miriam reveals them devoting 
their lives to the Jewish slaves: Aziel, preaching to them 


378 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


of the glorious liberty wherewith Christ maketh the soul 
free, and Miriam ministering to the sick and sorrowful. 

Moreover, as the large wealth belonging to the families 
of Aziel and Miriam had been lost to them in the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, they were now poor, and Aziel labored 
with his hands at the trade of engraving in metals, which 
he had been taught in his youth, that thereby he might 
supply food for his family, and be chargeable to no man. 
Thus do we leave them, consecrating their lives and talents 
to the cause of Christ, preaching to the downtrodden the 
glad tidings of the Gospel of Peace. 

And what of Placidus and Jessica, and Myrtilla and 
Virgilia? 

Placidus had learned to love the Jewish maiden with 
deep devotion, and had wooed her oft, but he could not 
win her; for Jessica had answered, as her truthful eyes 
gazed into the piercing black orbs, now so persuasive in 
their tender love-light, — 

“I cannot wed a pagan; and though T owe to thee the 
life of my sister and friend, and my own life also, I give 
thee honor, and respect, — yea, love, for I am not ashamed 
to acknowledge my love for thee; still I must obey the 
injunction of the Gospel, which says, — 

‘‘ ^ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers ! ^ 
So, though I would give my life for thee, I cannot wed any 
but a believer in the Christ.’^ 

Then was Placidus forced to wait, and he again departed 
to the wars. 

Now, though Jessica laughingly declared that she was a 
slave in the Cselian villa, yet did she in truth reign there 
as queen; for natures such as hers do always control 
others, and can never bow but to the one being on earth 
who has captured their will by love. Myrtilla and Virgilia, 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


379 


to whom Jessica showed the most unbounded reverence, 
were yet subject to her by this law, and were most willing 
to be led by so strong a spirit, ever loyal to the right, and 
true, and noble. 

Jessica, having lost her much prized jewels in the many 
robberies committed by the rebels in Jerusalem, when 
every house was pillaged, and having been a slave, clothed 
in coarse garments till she found a home in the Caelian 
villa, and had been supplied with raiment fitting to her 
youth and beauty by her kind friends, had yet firmly 
refused to accept the beautiful gems offered to her by 
Myrtilla and Virgilia, saying sweetly, — 

I thank you warmly for the offer of those costly gifts ; 
but I myself have known the pangs of starvation, and 
henceforth I should not deem it right to wear on neck and 
arm those costly jewels, the price of which would provide 
so many meals for those who hunger.’^ 

And following her self-denying example, Myrtilla and 
Virgilia were moved also to sell their sparkling gems, and 
many costly articles in their luxurious home, among which 
were rare citrus-tables, and vessels of the much-prized 
murrha, and vases of Corinthian bronze, which brought 
large sums of money into the treasuries of the Christian 
churches, to be distributed amongst the poor. For in 
those early times the Christians were mostly lowly born, 
and ill supplied with this world’s goods, and those pos- 
sessing wealth ministered generously to those in need. 

So Jessica was always attired in simple white garments, 
but gratified her intense love of the beautiful by wearing 
many flowers; and Myrtilla and Virgilia learned to read 
her various moods according to the color or variety of the 
blossoms which were always fastened in her girdle. 

Thus did Jessica go about among the suffering Christians 


380 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


of Rome, appearing in the eyes of the sick and sorrowful 
as a ministering angel; and the faces of many would 
brighten at the sight of the sweet flowers which she wore, 
and which she never carried home when visiting those to 
whom the fragrant sprays would be a much prized gift. 

On a certain day she entered the nympheeum , wearing in 
her girdle a bunch of glowing blush roses; and Myrtilla, 
noting the color of joy, whispered to her mother, — 

“Jessica is prepared, you see, for the surprise we have 
to give her.’’ 

Then Myrtilla, approaching the beautiful Jewess, and 
twining her arms around her slender waist, said 
lovingly, — 

“Come with me into the garden; there is a surprise 
awaiting thee beside the fountain.” 

The two were soon lost to the view of the loving eyes 
of Virgilia, who watched them from the porticoed nym- 
phseum. Reaching the arbor twined with myrtle, starred 
with white blossoms, Myrtilla kissed the cheek of Jessica, 
murmuring, — 

“ Behold thy surprise ! ” and vanished. 

And Jessica, looking up, gazed into the glowing eyes of 
Placidus, who clasped her hand, and whispered, — 

“I have come once more to woo thee, Jessica, my idol; 
and ere thou answer, listen! Some months ago, while I 
lay one night in my war-tent, I had a marvellous, dream. 
I thought I was hunting in the forest, and I saw before me 
a stag of wondrous beauty, and I pursued it eagerly. Then 
the stag fled before me, and ascended a high rock, where 
it stood at bay. And looking up, I beheld between the 
branching horns of the stag a cross of radiant light, and 
on the cross the image of the Crucified Redeemer; and 
being astonished and dazzled by this vision, I fell upon 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


381 


my knees, when a voice, which seemed to come from the 
crucifix , cried to me, saying, — 

‘^‘Placidus, why dost thou pursue Me? I am Christ, 
whom thou hast hitherto served without knowing Me. 
Dost thou now believe?’ 

“Whereupon the voice ceased, and I fell with my face 
to the earth, exclaiming, — 

“ ‘ Lord, I do believe! ’ 

“ Then the voice answered, — 

“ ‘ Thou shalt suffer many tribulations for My sake, and 
shalt be tried by many temptations; but be strong, and of 
good courage! I will not forsake thee.’ 

“ Thereupon I seemed to murmur in my dream, — 

“ ‘ Lord, I am content. Do Thou give me strength and 
patience to suffer ! ’ 

“And when I lifted up my face again, lo! the glorious 
vision had departed. But,” continued Placidus, in solemn 
tones, “I believe now in thy Christ, and am willing to 
obey His commands, and enlist under His banner. Wilt 
thou help me, Jessica, my beloved, by giving me the joy 
of thy presence and thy sympathy as my wedded wife?” 

As the blue eyes of the maiden gazed into the depths of 
those glowing starry eyes, now radiant with the light of a 
heavenly, as well as an earthly love, the proud will of the 
girl bowed with delight before the one being to whom 
she deemed it great honor to bend her heart in queenly 
allegiance. Henceforth she, whose haughty nature could 
be broken by no obstacles, and mastered by no terrors, 
would, with proud joy, submit the hitherto unconquered 
will. And thus did Jessica answer the manly and per- 
suasive appeal of Placidus, — 

“As I have quoted the words from the Gospel scroll of 
Holy Writ before, when I gave refusal to thy pleading, I 


382 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


will be again guided by their teachings; for it is there 
written , — 

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands; 
for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is 
the head of the Church. Therefore, as the Church is sub- 
ject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands 
in everything! ’ 

And Placidus added, — 

“It is written also: ‘A man shall leave father and 
mother and shall cleave to his wife. What, therefore, 
God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.’” 

Thus were Placidus and Jessica betrothed; and soon 
there was a quiet wedding in the Caelian villa, and the 
hearts of Virgilia and Myrtilla were content regarding the 
heart-happiness of their cherished son and brother. 

Looking into the records of those times, we find one later 
glimpse of Placidus and Jessica. 

The magnificent Coliseum (begun by Vespasian, and 
finished by Titus just before his death, the external walls 
of which, raised by twelve thousand captive Jews, cost 
for the walls alone seventeen million francs) then existed 
in all its grandeur; and if the ruins can excite the raptur- 
ous admiration of the world, what must have been the 
glory of it? 


Arches on arches I as it were that Rome, 

Collecting the chief trophies of her line, 

Would build up all her triumphs in one dome. 

Her Coliseum stands ; the moonbeams shine 

As T were its natural torches, for divine 

Should be the light which streams here, to illumine 

The long-explored but still exhaustless mine 

Of contemplation ; and the azure gloom 

Of an Italian night, where the deep skies assume 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


383 


Hues which have words, and speak to ye of heaven, 

Floats o’er this vast and wondrous monument, 

And shadows forth its glory. There is given 
Unto the things of earth, which Time hath bent, 

A spirit’s feeling, and where he hath leant 
His hand, but broke his scythe, there is a power 
And magic in the ruined battlement. 

For which the palace of the present hour 

Must yield its pomp, and wait till ages are its dower.” 

The name Coliseum was first found in the writings of 
the Venerable Bede, who quotes a prophecy of Anglo-Saxon 
Pilgrims, — 

“ While stands the Coliseum, Home shall stand ; 

When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall : 

And when Rome falls, the world ! ” 

“ The Coliseum consisted of four stories : the first Doric, 
the second Ionic, and the third and fourth Corinthian. 
The entrance for the Emperor was between two arches 
facing the Esquiline. The arena was surrounded by a wall 
sufficiently high to protect the spectators from the wild 
beasts, which were introduced by subterranean passages 
closed by huge gates, from the side towards the Cselian. 

The podium contained the places of honor reserved for 
the Emperor and his family, the Senate, and the Vestal 
Virgins. The places for the other spectators, who entered 
by openings called vomitoria, were arranged in three stages, 
cavece^ separated by a gallery, prcecinctio. The first stage, 
for knights and tribunes, had twenty-four steps; the 
second, for the common people, sixteen; the third, for 
the soldiery, ten. The women, by order of the Emperor, 
sat apart from the men, and married and unmarried men 
were also divided. The whole building was capable of 
containing one hundred thousand persons. At the top, 


384 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


on the exterior, were the consoles, which sustained the 
velarium, which was drawn over the arena to shelter the 
spectators from the sun or rain. The arena could on occa- 
sions be filled with water for naval combats; the podium 
was protected from it by a metal screen, over which the 
wild beasts were unable to climb. 

‘‘The dedication of the Coliseum afforded to Titus an 
opportunity for a display of magnificence hitherto un- 
rivalled. A battle of cranes with dwarfs representing the 
pigmies was a fanciful novelty, and among the combats 
of gladiators were women, though no noble matron was 
allowed to mingle in the affray. The capacity of the vast 
edifice was tested by the slaughter of five thousand animals 
in its circuit. The show was crowned with the immission 
of water into the arena, and with a sea-fight representing 
the contests of the Corinthians and Corcyreans, related by 
Thucydides.’’ 

The time of our scene was in the reign of Adrian. To 
commemorate his birthday, the Emperor gave a gorgeous 
entertainment in the Coliseum. Among many splendid 
spectacles was the representation of a mammoth forest, 
when the entire arena was suddenly planted with living 
trees and blooming flowers, and in their midst the ground 
was made to open, and wild animals appeared from yawn- 
ing clefts, which were instantly re-covered with shrubs and 
bushes. To add excitement to the scene, thousands of 
beasts were slaughtered, and two hundred African lions 
fought with each other in wild fury. Then in the midst 
of this brutal show occurred a still more horrible and 
blood-curdling sight. 

There had waged another persecution of the Christians, 
and to amuse the Eoman people, grown savage again under 
the wicked emperors who had succeeded Titus, the follow- 
ing shocking spectacle had been prepared. 


THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


385 


-Through the city, from the Mamertine Prison, through 
the Forum, walking under the magnificent arch of Titus, 
spanning the Via Sacra, between the Forum and the Coli- 
seum, came a band of Christians doomed to martyrdom. 

On to the arena were they led by their cruel jailers, 
when they were greeted by the brutal crowds with jeers 
and shouts of mockery. At the head of the little band of 
Christians walked an aged man, the Bishop of Antioch. 

When brought into the arena, he knelt down, and 
exclaimed, — 

Eomans, know that I have not been brought into this 
place for any crime, but in order that by this means I may 
merit the fruition of the glory of God, for love of Whom 
I have been made prisoner. I am as the grain of the field, 
and must be ground by the teeth of the lions, that I may 
become bread fit for His table.’’ 

Whereupon the lions were let loose upon him, and they 
devoured him before the cruel eyes of the multitudes. 

Next followed four Christians, — an aged man and his 
wife, and two noble sons. As these enter the arena, we 
recognize in one of the sons the likeness to Placidus, and 
in the golden hair and blue eyes of the other, the features 
of Jessica. 

This family of Christian martyrs are, in truth, Placidus, 
Jessica, and their sons. The white hair and emaciated 
face of Placidus denote his age and privations; but his 
dark eyes are yet full of holy fire, and his step is still 
martial and his form erect. His wife, though her head 
is crowned with snowy locks, has still the true blue eyes 
of J essica, undimmed by age, and her mien is now as 
queenly as when once before she faced the lions in the 
amphitheatre. 

But with all her heroic fortitude, there is visible a 
25 


386 


THE BOOM OF THE HOLY CITY. 


tremor as her eyes seek the faces of her husband and sons. 
It is not for herself she trembles, but for those so dear 
to her. 

The awful cry is given, — 

Throw them to the lions ! ” 

But consternation seizes the crowds of savage spectators 
as the wild beasts crouch at the feet of the Christian 
martyrs, and refuse to touch them. 

But their awe does not soften the hearts of those brutal 
monsters, who are determined not to be robbed of their 
diabolical amusement, and the command is given, — 

Bring in the brazen bull! 

And thereupon a mammoth image of a bull made of 
brass, and filled with combustibles ready to be kindled, is 
rolled into the arena, and a large bronze door in the side 
of the image is opened, and Placidus and Jessica and 
their two sons are forced to enter this huge oven ; then 
the door is closed upon them, and the fire lighted under- 
neath, and the human fiends shout, — 

‘‘Thus do we roast the Christians whom the beasts 
refuse to kill ! ” 

And now, in the city of Borne, near the Pantheon, stands 
the Church of S. Eustachio, in commemoration of the 
martyrdom of Placidus and Jessica, canonized in the 
records of the saints under the names of SS. Eustace and 
his wife Theopista. 


THE END, 






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